Transformers: Genesis
by GammaVSMW
Summary: This is a brand-new fan-continuity inspired mostly by G1, but with references to other continuities as well. The first few chapters will take place on Cybertron, mostly explaining the ancient history and beginnings of the Great War. Later chapters WILL take the fight to Earth though, so stay tuned! Rated T just in case.
1. IN THE BEGINNING

At the beginning of the universe, there were two gods. One, who would come to be known as Primus, represented light, standing for creation, growth, progress, and order. The other, Unicron, represented darkness, standing for death, destruction, and decay, and chaos. As the young universe expanded by Primus' hand, Unicron would retaliate by bringing cataclysms to destroy that which was created. This struggle continued until Primus sealed himself and Unicron into barren planets that the latter had all but wiped clean of life.

Primus, being a god of creation, was able to reform his planetary prison into a metallic world that would be a well-spring of mechanical life. Unicron, meanwhile, could not create, and, as a result, drifted helplessly through space, surrounded by an aura of darkness that could corrupt any form of sentient life that Primus created.

The first life-forms to emerge from Primus would come to be known as the Thirteen Primes. Each of these Primes could directly call upon a portion of the raw power of Primus, but were each given individual minds and wills. Each of these powerful beings would be given a duty crucial to the continued creation and evolution of life throughout the universe.

Prima was the first of these Primes, and as such, was the leader. He carried with him a conduit with which he could commune with the AllSpark, the mind of Primus himself and the well-spring of life within the planet. This conduit would come to be known as the Matrix of Leadership. In order to battle the forces of darkness that would inevitably rise in the universe, he was also given possession of a sacred blade known as the Star Saber.

Vector Prime was the second of the Thirteen, and served as a guardian of space and time. He would be given the Blade of Time, Rhisling, with which he could bend the fabric of space and time to his will.

Alpha Trion was the third Prime, and was appointed as a sage and record keeper. His Sacred Quill allowed him to record all events, past, present, and future.

Solus, the fourth Prime, served as the master artificer, creating and maintaining many sacret weapons and artifacts with her Sacred Forge.

Micronus Prime was the fifth Prime, representing evolution with his ability to link up to and enhance the powers of his siblings in times of great need.

Alchemist Prime, the sixth, stood guard over the elemental structure of the natural world. His Sacred Lenses allowed him to see farther and deeper into the fabric of the universe than his siblings.

The seventh, Nexus Prime, would be the first being able to split himself into smaller components, then reassemble into his true form. He carried with him the Enigma of Combination, with which he could bestow upon other groups the ability to combine into a singular form potentially greater than the sum of its parts.

Onyx Prime was the eighth, and stood guard over the fauna of the universe with his ability to assume their amimalistic forms. He wears the Sacret Triptych Mask, allowing him to see into the souls of the living, the dead, and those not yet born.

Amalgamus Prime was the ninth, and the first to extend shape-shifting beyond the bestial forms of his elder brother. He would go on to instill this ability into all future denizens of the plaent.

The tenth was Quintus Prime, who would serve as the first progenitor of sentient life. He was the first to leave his homeworld and take his life-creating power to another planet, which would come to be known as Quintessa.

Liege Maximo was the eleventh Prime, and the first to be corrupted by the darkness of Unicron. He would become known as the master of lies and manipulation, with the uncanny ability to coax all but the strongest of wills into following his lead. This knack for deception would gain him the title of the First Decepticon.

Megatronus, the twelth Prime, was initially appointed thw Warrior-Guardian of Life, and was gifted the mighty Requiem Blaster, a weapon intended to destroy anything that was too corrupted by darkness to be saved. He would be the first being swayed to darkness by Liege Maximo, who played upon his envy of the other Primes to instill in him an undying lust for "the power to rise above Primus himself." This lust for power drove him to kill his mentor, disintegrating him with the Requiem Blaster before turning on the other Primes.

The other Primes, naturally, would attempt to defend themselves. Solus was the first to stand against Megatronus, who would take advantage of her lack of combat prowess to kill her with a weapon of her own design. Prima would rise next, feeling that it was his duty as the eldest Prime to maintain order and peace.

Before engaging Megatronus, Prima passed the Matrix of Leadership on to Alpha Trion, whose ability to see into the future would allow him to keep it safe. Micronus Prime, sensing the great danger posed by Megatronus, linked up to the elder Prime. Together with Nexus Prime, Prima would overpower and defeat Megatronus, who fled into space, vowing that he would return in time.

The youngest of the Primes, known only as the Thirteenth, was a being of great natural wisdom and purity. Not having been given a specific duty, and having seen how much power could corrupt the ones who wielded it, suggested that the power of Primus be transferred into a new artifact that would provide unlimited energy to the future generations who would be born of the planet. So committed was he to living a life of selflessness and humility that he sacrificed his immortality, allowing himself to pass on to the AllSpark, from which he could be reborn as a mortal and walk among even the lowliest of sentient beings.

Prima would also sacrifice himself, relinquishing his mighty physical body to merge his life spark with the Matrix of Leadership, from which he would act as a spiritual guide to all future bearers of the relic.

With that, the Thirteen disappeared into the mists of legend, while the world they forged and the life they created would continue to grow and thrive, eventually creating a mighty civilization that spanned the whole of the planet that would come to be known as Cybertron.


	2. SUBJUGATION AND LIBERATION

For millennia, the Cybertronian civilization was at peace, but, on Quintus Prime's colony world of Quintessa, the passing of the drifting planetoid prison of Unicron began twisting the native Quintessons from a race of peace, prosperity, and great technological advancement, into one driven by greed and imperialism. A once benevolent Quintesson scientist named Primacron became so twisted that he relocated himself and his laboratory to Unicron's prison, having been manipulated into using his scientific and technological prowess to reshape the prison into a colossal mechanical body with which the dark god could resume his reign of destruction over the universe and eventually destroy his counterpart.

Quintus Prime, having also been tainted by Unicron's dark aura, created a dark artifact with the ability to extract the spark of life from any mechanical lifeform. He gave this relic to the ruler of Quintessa, Supreme Judge Alpha Quintesson, who was advised to use it in the conquest of Cybertron. Alpha Quintesson took heed of Quintus' advice and, with his Quintesson legions and army of Dark Sentinel drones in tow, invaded the planet of Quintus' origin. The people of Cybertron were ill prepared for this invasion, being quickly overpowered and subjugated by the Quintessons and their Dark Sentinels. Those who dared resist were either destroyed or subjected to Alpha Quintesson's Spark Extractor. These fallen rebels would serve as an example of what would happen should any Cybertronian attempt to rise up against the new rulers of the planet.

Guided by the whispers of Unicron, Alpha Quintesson would travel deep into the core of the planet and seal away the life-giving AllSpark within a supercomputer known as Vector Sigma, with which he hoped to take control of the process of giving intelligence to the mechanoids that the planet, having been transformed into a massive factory, would produce.

Alpha Trion, having foreseen this event, merged his consciousness with the AllSpark, planning to eventually reincarnate himself into one of the many robots the Quintessons would produce. While within the AllSpark, Trion would commune with the very mind of Primus, receiving instructions on how to overthrow the Quintessons and retake Cybertron. Primus would plant within his body a device capable of deactivating the dreaded Dark Sentinels and shielding rebels from the effects of the Spark Extractor.

Alpha Trion, now armed with the knowledge and abilities needed to overthrow the Quintessons, proceeded to plant his Spark into the body of an engineer-bot designated A3. As A3, Alpha Trion would rally several fellow Cybertronians into a rebel army to liberate the planet. Using the Forge of Solus Prime, he would construct shields capable of offering the same Spark Extractor protection that Primus gave him. These became known as Skyboom Shields and, in conjuction with Alpha Trion's wisdom, charisma, and ability to disable the Dark Sentinels, would eventually lead the Cybertronians to kill Alpha Quintesson, destroy the Dark Sentinels, and drive the remaining Quintessons back to their homeworld.

With freedom restored, Alpha Trion returned to his role as record keeper, but would also take on the duty of custodian over the Matrix of Leadership until the next Cybertronian worthy of bearing it would arrive. The now-liberated Cybertronians would re-christen themselves as the Autonomous Robots, or Autobots, and the mark that had once been their slave brand under Quintesson rule became a symbol of freedom.

To prevent another invasion and keep peace on Cybertron, the Autobots created a planetary defense force known as the Guardian Corps, headed up by the Elite Guard, who would act as the supreme commanding force of the Guardians. From this group, an Elite Guardsman known as Sentinel Minor, a bot of great humility despite his high rank and great power, would be chosen as the first new Prime, being granted the Matrix of Leadership by Alpha Trion, whom he would take on as an advisor in his new role as Supreme Leader of Cybertron. Believing that no one bot should hold absolute power over everything, he would create the High Council, which would be comprised of elected representatives from each of Cybertron's City States.

For many millennia, this system created peace and prosperity for Cybertron, but time flows like a river, and history repeats. Even the most peaceful and prosperous of society is not without its malconents, and those who would wish to subvert the status quo for their own personal gain.


	3. CALM BEFORE A STORM

A fairly young mech walked down a long corridor alongside his commanding officer. This mech was Orion Pax, one of the youngest Guardians to rise to the rank of High Guardian, a position that afforded him a surefire ticket to the Elite Guard of Cybertron. Pax never allowed his status to swell his ego. though, and maintained the humility of a Guardian Cadet despite having qualities that, according to his close friend and fellow High Guardian Metron, would secure him the position of Elite Guard Supreme Commander or even Prime.

Unlike the idealistic and humble Pax, Metron was far more ambitious and egotistical. Some bots would accuse him of having delusions of grandeur, and rumors began to circulate about him conspiring to overthrow Sentinel Prime. Recently, a dangerous criminal known as Fracture had escaped the Maximum Security Stockades in Kaon. The maniacal convict had been on a rampage for the past few stellar cycles, only being successfully apprehended by a unit under the command of Elite Guard Supreme Commander Ultra Magnus.

"You don't think the rumors are true, do you, Ultra Magnus?" Orion asked his companion. "You don't think Metron is working with the criminal element of Cybertron, do you?"

"Given this recent surge in prison breaks from the most secure containment cells on the planet, I'm beginning to suspect an inside job, Orion," the Supreme Commander replied. "I'm sure you've heard Metron prattle on about a 'New World Order.'"

"I always figured that was just talk. Metron rose through the ranks to High Guardian just like I did. Were he conspiring with criminals, he probably would've been found out by now."

Skilled though he was, Orion was still a rather naive individual, partially due to his desire to see the best in everyone.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the Decepticons, Orion," began Magnus. "At first glance, they may seem like just another crime syndicate, but in reality, they're a terrorist organization attempting to overthrow Sentinel Prime and the Council. Fracture swears allegiance to them, as do many of the other escaped convicts we've apprehended. They could only have been so easily sprung with the help of someone on the inside. The Decepticon Manifesto calls for a 'New World Order' and 'an end to the Age of Primes.' I hope that I'm wrong, but the countless stellar cycles I've spent in service to the Guardian Corps and Elite Guard leave me with little hope...and an abundance of suspicion."

"I still don't know why anyone would want to overthrow Sentinel and the Council. We've enjoyed so much freedom, peace, and prosperity under them," Orion countered.

"Orion, the promise of power is enticing to many, but particularly to those whose Sparks are tuned toward ego and greed. The great sage and record keeper, Alpha Trion, once said that 'Time flows as a river, and as the waters of a river cycle round endlessly, so too does history repeat.' Our society was toppled once. Never discount the possibility of it happening again." Ultra Magnus sighed as he and Orion parted ways. "I'm heading to Maccadam's. It's been a long solar cycle. I could use some High-Grade."

Supreme Commander though he was, Ultra Magnus was not above enjoying the occasional tipple at Maccadam's Old Oil House, perhaps the most famous and well-regarded bar on all of Cybertron. This was especially true after particularly stressful times, which, with the rash of prison breaks, were steadily increasing. Magnus headed out onto the open road, his body twisting and turning as it reconfigured into the shape of an armored car carrier before rolling out for Maccadam's.

Once there, he reverted to his robotic form and entered the establishment. Cybertronians from all walks of life congregated here, as it was as much a social gathering place as it was a watering hole. Even seasoned Guardians and Elite Guardsmen like himself would come to the Old Oil House after duty to unwind, grab a drink, socialize, and watch Cube matches on the large view-screens installed throughout the bar.

Waiting at the main bar was Maccadam, the founder and owner of the establishment, who also served as the main bartender. "Ah, Ultra Magnus!" he greeted upon seeing the approaching Supreme Commander. "The usual High Grade with a touch of Radium?"

Magnus chuckled. "You know me all too well, Maccadam."

"Indeed, The prison breaks must still be weighin' heavy on the ol' processor. I fear it'll get worse before it gets better, so might as well relax while you can," the friendly barkeep replied before handing Magnus his drink, which the Supreme Commander sipped before casually sitting down in the nearest empty booth. Once seated, he took another long drink. Maccadam was right, he needed the relaxation. He hoped, however, that the barkeep was wrong about the possibility of things escalating.

It wouldn't be long before an imposing figure clad in mostly gray hues and equipped with an arm-mounted cannon would approach him. Following closely and dutifully behind him was a dark blue and white figure with a shoulder cannon and a featureless face.

"Ah...Ultra Magnus! A pleasure to see you in such good spirits, sir," the gray mech greeted with a sly grin on his face.

"Now, Metron, there's no need for the formalities here. We're both off duty now, aren't we?"

"Indeed we are," the High Guardian replied, the devious smirk not leaving his face. The mech behind him, meanwhile, neither spoke nor showed any emotion whatsoever, giving Ultra Magnus the impression that he might as well have been a Sparkless drone. Still, the Supreme Commander would offer a hand of friendship to this newcomer. "Who's your friend?" he asked.

"This is Soundwave. He's a Deployer. He's a bot of few words," Metron replied. "You'd be similarly withdrawn if you had to endure what he did at the servos of that...screw-loose scientist Shockwave."

Magnus nodded before taking another sip of his drink. Shockwave was a name with which he was all too familiar. He was a brilliant scientist and inventor who worked his way up to the position of Chief Scientific Advisor to the Council. However, he was stripped of his position and imprisoned within the Kaon stockade when he was discovered to be breaking scientific ethics by experimenting on non-consenting bots. He was also found to have ties to a member of the Decepticons known as Jhiaxus, as well as an illegal intergalactic arms dealer known as Swindle. Deployers were his crowning achievement; robots able to deploy and control up to three specialized drones. Unfortunately, according to rumors, the process of becoming a Deployer was psychologically taxing to those who underwent it, leaving them either completely insane or completely hollow. Soundwave appeared to fall into the latter category. Due to early subjects' propensity to go insane after becoming Deployers, future subjects chosen to become Deployers were subjected to Spark Extraction before undergoing the process, so nearly Deployers were little more than advanced drones.

"I wouldn't expect any Deployer to be too terribly sociable, given that they're Sparkless drones," Magnus replied, a bit of suspicion welling up within him. He could only hope he wouldn't have to enforce the 'No Fighting' rule tonight. Metron was known to have a bit of a temper.

"Yes, I suppose so," the shady High Guardian replied. "The beauty is, though, that they'll do whatever they're commanded." He turned to his companion with a devilish grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Magnus' keen audio sensors picked up on the sound of a pained scream coming from the other side of the bar. He rushed off in the direction of the scream as fast as his legs could carry him, being careful to avoid knocking over any patrons in his path. He skidded to a halt and gasped when he saw the source of the scream. "Officer Blaster, are you alright?" he asked concernedly, addressing the barely conscious red, gold, and white bot lying on the floor. "What happened?"

Blaster groaned, only able to get one syllable out before going into Stasis Lock. "Met..."

Magnus looked up to see a black and red condor-shaped drone hovering overhead, its optics glowing brighter and brighter as it prepared to fire a pair of powerful beams, the same beams that left Blaster in his current condition. A white and blue mech with red accents glared at the avian drone, trying to resist the urge to fire on it as it aimed its optical lasers on him. Acting quickly, Magnus positioned himself between the drone and mech as it fired, shielding the more vulnerable bot with his body.

"Thanks, Commander," the bot smiled. "Guess there's no 'off duty' for you tonight."

Magnus shook his head. "It would appear not, Jazz. I'll deal with this drone. You need to get Blaster out of here and to the nearest med clinic."

Jazz nodded and grabbed his comatose friend, running to the door before transforming into a high-performance racing car and placing Blaster's body on his roof. With a loud engine roar and tire screech, he sped away to the nearby medical clinic operated by Ratchet, one of the finest doctors on Cybertron.

With Jazz and Blaster out of harm's way, Ultra Magnus pulled out his Suppressor and fired on the drone, shocking it into shutting down before picking it up and turning back to face Metron and Soundwave. Unfortunately for him, though, the dastardly duo had already left. Jazz was right. There would be no 'off duty' for Magnus, or any member of the Guardian Corps or Elite Guard tonight.


	4. JAILBREAK

Metron, having transformed into his alternate mode of a Cybertronian assault tank, drove toward the main Super-Max complex of Kaon with Soundwave following close behind. "That little distraction worked well," the traitorous mech said to himself. "Your drones should keep our dear Supreme Commander occupied at Maccadam's long enough for the revolution to proceed."

"Unit Laserbeak: Disabled," reported Soundwave. "Units Ravage and Rumble: Online. Operation Diversion: In progress."

Metron chuckled. "What is the loss of one mere drone when compared to the losses my naive comrades shall soon suffer?" He didn't expect Soundwave to understand or answer his rhetorical question, and the Deployer indeed ignored the question, instead choosing to ask, "What is your command, Megatron?"

"If any of my...fellow officers...attempt to stand in my way, deal with them. Your reinforcements shall arrive as soon as my work is done."

"As you command," the drone replied.

"Who's that you're talkin' to, Metron, and why's he callin' you 'Megatron?'" asked a lime-green and aqua mech with orange accents and a stout build.

Metron transformed to robot mode before replying. "He has a bit of a glitch in his speech program, Tow-Line. Pay it no mind."

Tow-Line was a fairly simple bot, so Metron hoped that his answer would satisfy him. If it didn't, though, Soundwave was ready to silence the security officer...lethally, if necessary.

"Well, it's not my place to really question a High Guardian like you. I'm sure you're here to investigate those prison breaks. I better not keep you then."

"Yes," Metron lied, "I am here to handle that little matter, so return to your duties."

Tow-Line saluted as Metron proceeded further into the prison hall. Soundwave, however, remained behind, keeping his optics on the lime green mech, causing him to become a little uneasy. "Uhh...Aren't you going with him?" he asked, hoping to break the eerie tension the drone was creating. Much to his dismay, however, the blue Deployer said nothing.

"You're not much for words, are you?"

Again, the drone said nothing, instead continuing to stare at the increasingly nervous security officer before him. Soundwave was quietly and emotionlessly assessing Tow-Line, calculating that his potential to be a threat to his master's plan was steadily increasing. When he determined that the potential for interference was too high to ignore, he took action, launching his shoulder rockets at the troublesome bot.

Tow-Line gasped as the projectiles approached him, quickly transforming into his tow-truck mode and driving away, hoping not to be hit. Unfortunately, he would only evade one of the missiles, taking an explosive hit in the rear from the other that sent him flying into a control panel. The impact caused an alarm to sound and several cells to open before the panicked security officer could revert to robot mode and get back on his feet. Though simple-minded, Tow-Line was not an idiot. He knew he had something big on his servos, and now, he knew that Metron was lying about his intentions. He activated his comm-link, hoping to get a warning out to the rest of the Guardian Corps and the Elite Guard. "Tow-Line to Guardian Command," he began. "Metron is..." Before he could say another word, another of Soundwave's missiles hit him in the back, causing him to scream out in pain before collapsing back into the hole he had inadvertently created in the console. One of the escaped prisoners soon approached the injured mech, smiling wickedly as he grabbed him by the neck and held him in front of him, attempting to use him as a shield. "Alright, you insufferable grease stains, Attack, and your little friend is scrap metal, understood?"

Tow-Line simply groaned in pain.

"Tonight marks the beginning of a new world order! By Megatron's command, Decepticons, attack!"

The hostage security officer could only hope that his message got through.

Back at Guardian Corps headquarters in Iacon, a sturdily-built red mech idly tapped a finger against the edge of the comm console. He couldn't help but feel that something big was about to happen and, like Ultra Magnus, he had become suspicious of Metron's motives.

"Tow-Line to Guardian Command! Metron is..." An explosion could be heard before the message was abruptly and prematurely ended. It didn't take long for the Security Chief to deduce what Tow-Line was intending to say. He immediately opened a communication channel to Ultra Magnus. "Ultra Magnus, this is Security Chief Ironhide. Sorry to bother ya durin' some much-deserved down-time, but we got a situation."

"I think I know what it is," came Ultra Magnus' weary voice over the comm. "Another prison break, right?"

"Seems like it, and I got a buzzin' in my brain-box that's tellin' me it's big one.. I just got part of a message from Security Officer Tow-Line sayin' that Metron's up to somethin'."

"Alert all Guardians troopers! Have them move in on the Kaon Prison Complex!"

"Roger, Ultra Magnus!" Ironhide responded before switching to the comm channel for Guardian troopers. "Attention all units! We got a major breakout at the Kaon Prison Complex! Ultra Magnus sends orders to move in!"

Ultra Magnus, meanwhile, transformed to vehicle mode and sped away from Maccadam's at top speed, opening up a comm channel to Orion Pax. "Orion, I hate to tell you this, but the rumors...and my suspicions...are correct. Metron is responsible for the prison breaks, and he's just orchestrated the largest one yet. Meet me at the Citadel of the Primes. I have a feeling Sentinel and the Council will be needing us."

"Yes, sir. I'm rolling out now," Orion responded as he transformed into a Cybertronian truck cab and rolled out toward the Citadel. "Why, Metron?" he said to himself as he approached the entrance and reverted to robot mode.


	5. ASSASSINATION

Back in Kaon, Metron watched as the Guardian Corps moved in on the prison complex, a smile of triumph forming on his faceplace. "Excellent. My warriors will keep those foolish Guardians occupied while I proceed with the next step in the revolution." He transformed and fled the scene, using his knowledge of the complex to slip through the less-traveled passages, giving the distracted Guardians the slip while they battled the army of escaped prisoners. Fortunately, the automated defense systems were programmed to stand down in the presence of a High Guardian, and Metron had yet to be stripped of that rank. So far, everything was going as planned, and, even though the Guardian Corps was aware of his intentions, they were too occupied to stop him.

Metron continued, traveling a network of back roads from Kaon to Iacon, confident that his criminal allies would continue to occupy the Guardians while he finalized his plan: The assassination of Sentinel Prime.

Meanwhile, in the inner chambers of the Citadel of the Primes, Sentinel Prime started to become restless. As the leader of Cybertron, he was well aware of the prison breaks that had been threatening the peace for the past several solar cycles. "Could this be the beginning of the Decepticon Uprising Alpha Trion spoke of?" he asked out loud as the door to his chamber opened to reveal Metron, smiling wickedly as he drew and energized his twin Energon Swords.

Sentinel stood up, keenly aware of Metron's intentions. As he did so, Metron charged forward, using his swords to slice off the Prime's arms. "Good evening, Sentinel Prime. I know you're aware of the current situation," the traitor hissed as he sheathed his blades and grabbed Sentinel by the neck. "Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do. It's time for a New World Order," he continued before tossing the injured Prime onto the floor and grinding one foot into his abdomen. "MY world order," he grinned before firing a fully-charged blast from his arm-mounted Fusion Cannon into Sentinel's chest, melting through his armor and burning out several vital components.

Sentinel clenched his teeth as vital systems shut down from the damage. "You won't win, Metron..." he said weakly.

"I am no longer Metron, Sentinel Prime. I am MEGATRON, and your reign ends now!" the future tyrant grinned as he drew an Energon Sword once more and plunged it into the Prime's exposed Spark Chamber, laughing wickedly as the light in his optics dimmed to darkness.

Just then, Ultra Magnus and Orion Pax burst in through a side door that connected the Chamber of the Prime to the Hall of Records. Orion's optics were wide with shock when he saw his long-time friend standing over Sentinel's now dead body, Energon Sword still impaled into the fallen Prime's most vital component. "Metron...How could you? To think that, for so many stellar cycles, I considered you a friend, and now...you do this?"

"From this day forth, Orion, you shall address me as Lord Megatron, the new ruler of Cybertron!"

"No," cried the High Guardian. "No! You can't!" He charged at Megatron, hoping to at least slow him down.

"Fool, I've already extinguished Sentinel's Spark, and, should you even attempt to stand against me, know that snuffing yours out will be no less of a challenge." He swatted the noble bot aside before turning his Fusion Cannon on him. "Because of our old friendship, however, I shall be generous. Join me, and I will spare your life."

"You truly have given yourself over to your greed and ego," replied a distraught Orion. "I will never join you, Megatron. I will never become a Decepticon!" Orion charged forward again, unafraid of the powerful weapon aimed at him. Before he could fire, though, Ultra Magnus positioned himself between him and his target. "As Supreme Commander of the Elite Guard, it is my duty to defend the Prime from all hostile threats. It is also my duty to protect those under my command when necessary."

"Ultra Magnus, No!" Orion protested as Megatron fired on his commanding officer knocking him backwards as the High Guardian skidded out of the way.

"Orion, don't worry about me," commanded Magnus, placing his powerful servos over the hole Megatron has made in his chest. "Take the Matrix to Alpha Trion. I'll keep Megatron busy. Now, GO!"

Orion nodded before dashing over to Sentinel's side. "I'm sorry we were too late, Sentinel," he quietly apologized as the Matrix of Leadership emerged from the hole in the deceased Prime's chest. As he took hold of the sacred talisman, it began to glow a bit brighter than normal, catching the High Guardian off-guard for a bit before he remembered what it is he had to do.


	6. PASSING OF THE MATRIX

Orion Pax transformed into vehicular mode, placing the Matrix inside of his cab as he revved up and sped through the Hall of Records, heading for Alpha Trion's personal chamber. Before he got too far, though, he heard a familiar, piercing cackle before feeling the ground shake beneath him. He tried to keep himself on his wheels, but was soon struck by a wave of energy that blasted a hole in the western wall while following the fissure that had been formed from the quake. The stunned High Guardian soon found himself face-to-face with a black and white femme with reddish-orange accents and a psychotic grin plastered across her face-plate. "Fracture," he said out loud, immediately recognizing the Decepticon warrior in front of him.

"Out for a midnight ride, are we?" Fracture asked, her voice dripping with murderous intent. "Lord Megatron told me you were carrying precious cargo. Give it to me, and I may hold off on reducing you to a smoking wreck."

Orion transformed and pulled his personal Ion Blaster out of its Subspace Storage Pocket. Fracture was unfazed by the weapon now aimed at her, letting out another maniacal cackle before stomping the ground, creating another fissure through which another wave of energy traveled. This time, though, Pax was ready and jumped to the side, leaving the energy wave to hit the wall opposite the insane femme. He then proceeded to fire a couple shots at Fracture's chest, only managing to hit with the first as she skidded out of the way of the second. Pax was shocked to discover that the shot that did hit only managed to make a dent in his assailant's armor.

"Armor upgrades...just one perk of serving the new ruler of Cybertron! You'll have to upgrade too if you want to have a chance of defeating any of us!" She slid forward and tackled Orion to the ground with enough force to create an Orion-sized dent in the door of one of the many storage vaults within which valuable historical datatrax and artifacts were stored. "I'll ask one last time. Give me the Matrix!"

Almost as if to announce its presence, the Matrix emitted a glow from within the cab windows that formed the High Guardian's chest. Orion immediately felt a noticeable increase in strength, which he used to knock Fracture off of him and send her flying backwards into the vault door on the opposite side of the wall.

"The Matrix has no place in the servos of a tyrant," growled Orion as he fired several more shots into the stunned Decepticon. "I will guard it with my life!"

"You will do more than simply guard the Matrix," came the voice of Alpha Trion as he entered the hall from his chamber. "It is now yours to bear as the next Prime."

Orion was flabbergasted. "Me? A Prime?" As he spoke, he could feel the power of the ancient talisman surging through him and upgrading him.

"Aye," replied the sage. "It is that humility, along with your decisiveness, courage, and selflessness that make you worthy of the Matrix's power."

"But...I was...initially deceived by Megatron. We were once good friends."

"That is irrelevant, for even the wisest of machines can be in error, and such naivete is often the hallmark of a pure Spark."

Orion was silent as he contemplated the elder's words.

"From here, I witnessed your confrontation with Megatron. I sense that it was only the first of many. However, it is the will of Primus, as executed by the Matrix, that you shall be given the power to overcome him. Go now, Optimus Prime. Ultra Magnus...and Cybertron...need you."

"Thank you, Alpha Trion," the newly-christened Optimus Prime replied before heading back out into the Chamber of the Prime.

"Cybertron's darkest hours are swift approaching," Alpha Trion said to himself as he watched the new Prime leave. "May Primus guide and protect Optimus Prime as he battles to bring the light."


	7. OPTIMUS PRIME

While the newly-christened Matrix Bearer made his way back to Ultra Magnus, the Elite Guard Supreme Commander found himself struggling to hold off Megatron, who had managed to nearly sever his right forearm and weaken his armor with repeated Fusion Cannon shots. "I never imagined the Supreme Commander of the Elite Guard would be so weak," the would-be tyrant grinned before slashing at Magnus with an Energon Sword, creating a deep cut that crossed the width of the Commander's chest. Ultra Magnus responded by firing his shoulder-mounted Plasma Pulse Cannons at Sentinel Prime's assassin, attempting to create some distance between himself and his opponent. As he did so, he saw an oddly familiar figure out of the corner of his optic. "O-Orion Pax? Is that you?"

"Indeed it is, Ultra Magnus, or rather, it was. I have now been given the name 'Optimus Prime.'"

Magnus smiled, despite the pain his injuries were causing. He always knew Orion had the potential to at least make Elite Guard, if not Prime. "I knew you had it in you."

"It would appear that you were not the only one to believe that to be so. It would seem that Primus himself has deemed me worthy. Now, though, is not the time for congratulations."

Megatron turned to face the new Prime, his optics narrowing to slits as he aimed his Fusion Cannon at the bot's chest and fired. Unfortunately, his shot did little more than make a small dent. Disappointed, the Decepticon mastermind charged up a more powerful shot, hoping to do some actual damage this time.

"You have caused enough death and destruction for one solar cycle, Megatron!" shouted Optimus, his voice filled with righteous fury as he fired several shots from his Matrix-upgraded Ion Blaster, taking the criminal by surprise and piercing holes in the outer layer of his chest armor.

"Impressive," smirked Megatron. "You managed to do some rather minor damage. Fortunately, my repair systems are already compensating for it. Do not think for a single cycle that I will yield. I have only begun to fight!" The ruthless mech that had once been Prime's friend drew both Energon Swords and charged at the Matrix Bearer, only to be blocked by a large Energon Axe.

"Nor will I," retorted Optimus before lowering the two silvery cannons on his back down onto his broad shoulders and firing a pair of missiles into Megatron's chest, which hit with such force that they sent the murderous bot flying backward into a wall and left two decent-sized holes in his chest, from which sparking circuitry could be seen.

"Do not think that...you have defeated me...Optimus Prime. Though you managed to do some admirable damage, it is too little...too late. My revolution is still well underway. I have already dissolved the High Council, and the Elite Guard will soon fall as well without its dear Supreme Commander. I seriously doubt he'll function much longer."

As he gloated, Soundwave silently dragged an unconscious Ultra Magnus away, leaving a trail of leaking Energon behind as he did so.

"As for the Guardian Corps...Their numbers are dwindling as we speak. Matrix Bearer though you are, it is I who will rule Cybertron! The era of the Primes is over! This solar cycle marks the dawn of a new era...the rise of the Decepticon Empire!" the soon-to-be tyrant continued before firing a fully-charged Fusion Cannon blast at the corpse of Sentinel Prime, melting the former leader's head and shoulders into an unrecognizable heap of molten slag as Optimus watched in horror.

Megatron simply laughed as he kicked aside one of Sentinel's severed arms and seated himself upon the Throne of the Prime. "It would be wise of you to attempt to back up what remains of the Guardian Corps, Prime," he taunted. "I can't guarantee their safety for much longer." Of course, Megatron himself was not the least bit concerned about the fate of any Guardian, but he knew Prime all too well. His compassion for his friends would compel him to come to their defense, leaving the murderous psychopath to recover from his wounds and plan his next move undisturbed.

As expected, Optimus hung his head before leaving. As much as he dreaded the thought, Megatron was likely to be right. For all he knew, every criminal on Cybertron was now free, and many were no doubt eager to take revenge on the bots who imprisoned them.


	8. BEGINNING OF SORROWS

Optimus sighed as he transformed and drove away from the Citadel. Sadness and anger welled up inside him when he saw the first Guardian corpse. He was lying face-down in a pool of Energon, with nothing but his own severed limbs to keep him company. This would only be the first of the grisly scenes he would see as he continued down the road. Every Guardian and Elite Guardsman who wasn't engaging a Decepticon was already dead or dying on the side of the road.

As he continued to grieve for the bots that were already dead, his attention was drawn to Guardian Security Chief Ironhide, who was struggling to hold his own against a thuggish brute of a mech with a blue and orange paint job. He quickly transformed and fired on the imposing warrior, causing him to turn his head with a grunt. "Who're you?" he asked, opening the missile pods on his broad shoulders. "Think you can take me?"

"Whether I can or can't...take you...doesn't matter," Prime replied. "I cannot allow you to take the life of another friend. I've already seen enough Energon spilled tonight."

"Orion...That you, kid?" Ironhide asked weakly.

"In a way, yes," Optimus replied before punching the apparently dim-witted blue brawler in the chest, sending him flying backwards into a lamp-post. The brute responded by firing the powerful projectiles he carried in his shoulder launchers. Prime quickly drew his Ion Blaster and blasted the incoming missiles, taking them out mid-flight and leaving the one who fired them with a shocked and confused expression as he tried to process what had just happened. "Hey! No bot does that to Tankor!" the Decepticon thug growled before charging at Prime. "I'm gonna pound you into sheet metal, Guardian!"

Ironhide, whose automatic repair systems had been given some time to heal some of his wounds, pulled out his own blaster and fired on Tankor mid-charge, causing him to skid to a halt and look over at the red-hued Security Chief. Optimus seized upon the brute's distraction to fire some shots of his own, piercing through the somewhat weaker armor of the Decepticon's abdomen.

"Good thing this guy ain't too bright," Ironhide commented as he watched Tankor double over in pain.

"I'm afraid that, dull as his wits may be, he's far from the only Decepticon wreaking havoc on Cybertron right now," Prime replied. "There are others much more powerful and intelligent than he that threaten our way of life."

"Like that back-stabbin' piece o' scrap Metron?"

"Yes, although, apparently, he has re-christened himself as 'Megatron.' The prison break he orchestrated was a means of amassing an army and diverting the attention of the Elite Guard and Guardian Corps from him and his true objective."

Ironhide immediately knew who Prime was talking about. "Is Sentinel.."

"His Spark has been extinguished, but he will not be the last Prime. The Matrix has been passed on to another."

"It's you, isn't it?"

"Yes, Ironhide, it is. I am no longer Orion Pax. I am now Optimus Prime."

Ironhide saluted. "I'm ready an' willin' to serve, Prime."

"At ease, friend. For now, you should seek repairs. I'd rather not see another fellow Guardian lose his life tonight."

"That's gonna be easier said than done," Ironhide responded, shaking his head. "Every medi-bot on Cybertron seems to have his or her servos full 'cause o' the trouble these Decepti-creeps are causin'."

Optimus sighed. "I figured as much. The road to the Citadel is littered with fallen comrades, and I fear that this is just the beginning. I have already borne witness to Megatron's ruthlessness and cruelty. His hunger for power will not be sated by the death and destruction he has already caused."

Ironhide growled. "I always knew that bot was a no-good piece o' slag."

Optimus said nothing, instead just placing a consoling servo on Ironhide's shoulders, causing the grizzled red bot to smile, if only for a moment. Deep down, he could tell that Optimus Prime was still the same bot he had come to know as a friend in the Guardian Corps.

"What're your orders, sir?"

"Round up every Guardian and Elite Guard-bot we can spare. We can't let Megatron establish his tyranny over Cybertron."

"I'll do what I can," Ironhide responded before transforming into a vehicle similar to an SUV and rolling out. Prime soon followed him. Before they could get too far, however, they were stopped by a towering figure that Ironhide immediately recognized. "Is that...a Dark Sentinel?" the Security Chief asked in disbelief. To his knowledge, Dark Sentinels hadn't existed, or at least functions, since the Age of Subjugation, the period in which the Quintessons ruled Cybertron. Hovering above the behemoth was a purple and black Cybertronian gunship that was even more familiar to Ironhide than the Sentinel: Shockwave.


	9. THE OMEGA FACTOR

"You may attempt to run, former Guardians, but that would be futile," taunted the disgraced scientist. "As you can see, I have successfully reconstructed a Dark Sentinel."

The Dark Sentinel took a step forward, shaking the ground beneath it and coming mere inches from crushing Prime and Ironhide. After a quick scan of its prey, the Sentinel used its enormous three-digit claw to effortlessly lift up the weaker mech and begin tightening its grip, intending to crush him. Shockwave simply watched, his pride in his creation obscured by his current transformation. Optimus watched as well, but could not simply stand by while his friend was being crushed to death. He lept into the air, drew his Energon Axe, and attempted to sever the arm holding Ironhide. The large machine responded by firing a powerful beam of energy from the cannon atop its head, burning Prime's left foot before the Matrix Bearer could get out of its path.

Ignoring the pain from the blast, Prime continued his assault, dragging his axe through the cut he had begun to make in the Sentinel's armor. The Sentinel responded by following Prime with his head beam, inadvertently doing further damage to his own arm as the Prime jumped off, causing the dull-witted machine to eventually sever the limb, which fell to the ground below, releasing the captive Security Chief.

This did little to stop the Sentinel, though, as it aimed at the two Guardians with an even more powerful cannon at the end of its still-good arm. Unfortunately for the massive mech, its quarry took advantage of the cannon's longer charge time to transform and speed out of its path before it fired, reducing everything in its path to heaps of molten metal. While waiting for the weapon to recharge, the Sentinel scanned its environment for its two targets, who had positioned themselves behind Shockwave, preparing to fire on the mastermind behind the massive drone. As soon as it locked onto their positions, the Sentinel froze, its programming preventing it from endangering its master.

"Miserable glitches," Shockwave growled under his breath before turning to face the Matrix Bearer and his companion himself, firing his own main cannon and striking the latter in the back. "You managed to outwit this Sentinel, but it is only the prototype of what will soon be my magnum opus. As I speak, more Omega Sentinels are being produced, and these will be far superior." He fired again, hoping to finish off the elder Guardian. Prime responded by jumping on top of Ironhide, taking the blast himself.

"Typical Prime," Shockwave commented with obvious disgust in his voice. "No self-preservation instinct."

Prime stood back up, his optics narrowing at Shockwave as a rage swelled within him. "In the service of freedom...and the protection of a friend...self-sacrifice is greater than self-preservation!" he shouted as he fired on the sadistic scientist with his shoulder launchers, hitting his left engine and causing him to lose control of his flight path.

The Omega Sentinel stopped and watched, unknown protocols having activated within its AI. It listened carefully to Optimus Prime's words. "Self-sacrifice...superior?" its deep, somewhat monotonous voice boomed, causing Prime and Ironhide to stare at it in utter surprise.

"If Omega sacrifice, Omega: Supreme?"

Shockwave angrily transformed before crashing to the ground. "It would appear that the future units' learning capacity will have to be decreased. Hopefully, their sheer power and numbers will compensate," the scientist growled as he retreated.

"A Guardian always puts the welfare of others before his own," Prime replied as he approached the Sentinel. "I am Optimus Prime, bearer of the Matrix of Leadership. You are welcome to join me in the protection of Cybertron."

"Omega: Guardian. Omega: Protect Cybertron."

"Ya do realize he's a drone, don't ya, Prime?"

"That is irrelevant, Ironhide. Omega Supreme is displaying the early signs of sentience. In my mind, he is equal to any fully-Sparked Cybertronian." Optimus looked sorrowfully at Omega's severed arm. He did what he had to do to save Ironhide, but now, he began to regret it. "I only wish that I didn't have to trick him into severing his own arm."

"Ya did what ya had to do, Prime...What any of us woulda done. Besides, ol' Ratchet could probably fix the big guy up."

"Deception: Forgiven. Assistance: Appreciated." The now-rogue Sentinel's neutral expression began to shift toward a smile as he realized that, unlike Shockwave, these bots actually cared and weren't about to replace him if he failed them.

As Prime and Ironhide welcomed Omega Supreme into their ranks and led him to Ratchet's clinic, Shockwave returned to his secret laboratory and factory hidden beneath the Kaon Prison Complex. There, he would make the adjustments he deemed necessary to the programming of all future Omega Sentinels. He sat at a large computer console and brought up a screen filled with computer code, which he carefully scanned through before making modifications. "It would appear that the imprinting protocol was not properly implemented," the purple-clad scientist observed out loud. "Perhaps...if I program it to disregard anyone who isn't registered as a Decepticon...Then, the future units won't be so easily swayed by the character flaws of the Prime." Prime...No other title given to any Cybertronian disgusted Shockwave more than Prime. To him, Prime represented a stifling of scientific progress for the sake of protecting potentially unfit beings. To Shockwave, if a test subject were to die as a result of his experimentation, then that subject was simply unfit to continue existing. To him, Megatron was a much more fit ruler for Cybertron than any Prime, and he would not limit Shockwave's quest for scientific advancement the way Sentinel Prime had done.

As he continued to work, Shockwave thought back to when he was stripped of his position as Chief Scientific Advisor to the Council of Cybertron and hauled off to the stockade by Guardian Security Chief Ironhide and Sergeant Kup. His single red optic glowed brighter with rage as he recalled the bot who replaced him: Perceptor. Brilliant as he may have been, Perceptor still managed to earn Shockwave's contempt with his adherence to a strict ethical code that forbade him from experimenting on any living thing without said being's full consent. With the power of his Omega Sentinels, and the blessing of the new ruler of Cybertron, he could level the Cybertron Institute of Science. His fantasies of revenge were interrupted, though, by an incoming transmission.

"Shockwave," came the voice of Megatron over the scientist's comm, "How goes Project Omega?"

"I regret to inform you that the prototype has gone rogue, Lord Megatron. However, I'm making adjustments to the AI code for future units. I'm implementing a fail-safe into the imprinting protocol that will ensure that only a Decepticon can imprint on the future Sentinels."

"Excellent," the Decepticon leader replied. "Have you decided on a target for the first field test?"

"I have, my liege. I intend to target the Cybertron Institute of Science. After all, it is a remnant of a bygone era, is it not?"

"Indeed it is, Shockwave. Kaon shall be the new center of scientific advancement for the rising Decepticon Empire."

While Shockwave and Megatron spoke, a small, red bot with yellow and black highlights listened, his optics growing wide with fear. If Shockwave were to unleash an Omega Sentinel on the CIS, his mentors and colleagues could be annihilated. He quickly transformed into a Cybertronian moped and drove away, activating his comm as he did so.

"Perceptor, do you read me? This is Scooter."

"Did you locate Shockwave's laboratory?" the new chief scientist of Cybertron asked.

"Yeah. I managed to do a little tweaking on the prototype Omega Sentinel's programming, but Shockwave caught onto me...or, at least, he undid my work. He's planning to unleash the next Sentinel on the Institute. I-It could be demolished...and you...you could be atomized!"

"I will not allow that to happen," replied Perceptor. "I suspect that the next Omega Sentinel is not yet completed. If that is the case, Wheeljack and I should have sufficient time to devise an effective counter-measure."

"I-I'll see if I can slow it down for you. Good luck!" Scooter replied before deactivating his comm and heading for the nearest computer access point. As he transformed and prepared to interface, he heard the approach of two small jet engines approaching him. He turned around to find two black and gold condor-like drones hovering behind him, charging up optic laser blasts. "Uh-oh," he said to himself before drawing a small handheld pistol and firing on them. Most of his shots hit, causing the drones to malfunction and crash. More identical drones soon arrived, attempting to fire on the intruder themselves as he connected his built-in Interfacer to the computer port, dodging optic laser blasts as he did so. Just as he managed to successfully gain access to the computer network, though, he stiffened up as he heard the footsteps of a much more imposing figure approach from behind. He gulped when he turned around to see who it was.

"Ah...It would appear that I've found the true source of the prototype's glitch." He took aim at the small hacker. "It would not be illogical to assume that you're attempting to further sabotage Project Omega."

Scooter was completely frozen with fear as the Decepticon scientist fired on him, easily melting through his armor and destroying his Interfacer hardware, severing his connection to the computer. "Interference will not be tolerated," Shockwave hissed as he grabbed Scooter by the neck. "Fortunately, it will not be a difficult task to stop you from interfering again." The sadistic scientist proceeded to fire his arm cannon into the open wound in the young bot's chest, his single optic glowing with delight as his victim's dimmed to darkness, marking the snuffing of his Spark. Satisfied, he tossed the dead hacker aside and returned to his control room while maintenance drones hauled the Guardian's corpse away.


	10. IN A BLURR

On the farthest outskirts of Iacon, a fair distance away from the brewing Decepticon uprising, a young, blue-hued civilian racer was speeding across one of his favorite raceways. He was blissfully unaware of the chaos surrounding the Citadel of the Primes and Sentinel Prime's assassination at the hands of Megatron. For the moment, all he was concerned about was beating his previous speed record. He let out a cheerful "Wa-hoo!" as he launched himself off of a ramp at top speed, clearing a large gap in an elevated portion of the track. He continued to speed down the road until he crossed the finish line, causing the display above it to show his time. The speedster transformed and looked up. "Aw, yeah! Fifteen cycles off my past record!" he gloated out loud before catching a glimpse of a vaguely familiar figure being dragged along the road. "Wait...Is that...Ultra Magnus?" he asked himself before reverting to vehicle mode and speeding off in the injured Supreme Commander's direction.

Soundwave, who was still dragging Magnus' unconscious body along the ground with no regard for the bot's dignity or safety, stopped suddenly when his sensors picked up the civilian speeding toward him. "Operation Disposal: Interference detected," the Deployer droned before opening his chest compartment and readying one of his drones in its missile-like alternate form. "Laserbeak, deploy. Operation: Elimination." He proceeded to launch his minion, who transformed into its avian form mid flight and began firing on the interfering blue mech, who quickly swerved out of the way of each shot before transforming and launching himself at his assailant, his speed generating enough force to knock the diminutive machine off-course. Laserbeak continued to careen out of control until he hit one of the support columns holding up the elevated part of the Iacon Raceway, exploding on impact.

Soundwave, noticing that his first drone had been effectively destroyed, prepared to deploy another. "Ravage," he began before being tackled by the speedy blue mech that had taken out Laserbeak.

"You're too slow!" taunted Soundwave's assailant, who proceeded to kick the Deployer in the chest and send him skidding backwards. The Decepticon responded by firing a missile from his shoulder cannon, which the feisty racer dodged as he jumped over to Ultra Magnus' side to tend to the injured Elite Guardsman as best he could. "I'll play with you some other time, buddy. Right now, I gotta run," he called out as he grabbed Ultra Magnus and sped away, leaving Soundwave behind to contemplate his next move.

As the speeder continued to run with Ultra Magnus in-hand, the Elite Guard Supreme Commander began to groggily come to. "Where...Who..." he groaned as he turned his head to look at his rescuer.

"Name's Blurr, Ultra Magnus," the blue bot responded. "I saw that drone draggin' you down the road like you were a piece of scrap metal. I'm just a civilian, but I couldn't let him keep that up."

Ultra Magnus smiled. "You...have the makings of a great Guardian, Blurr. Ever thought of...enlisting?"

"I'm a racer, sir, but...my speed seems to have gotten the better of that bot and his pet. Considering the condition you're in, something big must be going on, and you might need all the help you can get."

"It's...a Decepticon uprising," Magnus explained, still weak from his injuries. "Sentinel Prime's...been assassinated. I tried to stop the assassin, but he overpowered me."

"Slag...sounds like a tough customer," Blurr commented as the sound of a roaring engine and demented cackle approached him from behind. "Fracture," he grumbled, having recognized the insane femme's signature laugh. Like him, Fracture was once a racer, but unlike him, she was not one to play fair. Instead of relying on speed and skill to win, she'd employ dirty tricks and aggressive tactics, including violently attacking other racers. This naturally led to her being banned from the racing circuit.

"Hello, Blurr," the Decepticon madwoman greeted as she transformed into robot mode. "Miss me?"

"Yeah, like I miss Scraplets," snarked Blurr. "What're you doing here?"

"Lord Megatron asked me to help Soundwave dispose of that piece of scrap metal you're carrying," Fracture replied with a wicked grin. "It'll be just as fun to send you BOTH to the junk heap," she cackled as she unleashed her Seismic Stomp on Blurr and Magnus. Unfortunately, the added weight of the Supreme Commander slowed the speedster down enough that he found himself stumbling into the fissure caused by the Decepticon femme's attack. The energy wave that traveled through it then struck him, sending him flying into the wall of the nearest building with a hole in his chest.

Still weak and injured, Ultra Magnus grimaced as he launched his shoulder-mounted missiles at the wicked femme, who dodged one, but was struck and knocked away by the other. Fracture simply continued to laugh as she pulled herself back up, shrugging off the hit, which only caused some minor damage.

Blurr, despite having suffered injuries of his own from the crazed ex-racer, pulled himself back up onto his feet and charged at Fracture, going into a somersault and slamming into her back, knocking her onto the ground before jumping away to allow Magnus another opportunity to fire, which he immediately took, smiling at the speedster as he did so.

Fracture, still caught off-guard by Blurr's surprise attack, was struck by both of Magnus' missiles this time, which produced enough combined explosive force to create a dent in her chest armor. Blurr followed this up with a charging punch aimed at the hole left by the missiles, sending Fracture off into a ditch before wiping imaginary dirt off his servos. "Heh...We make a pretty good team, don't we, Magnus?"

"We do," the Elite Guardsman agreed with a smile. "You even fought despite injuries...like a natural-forged soldier."

As the two bots spoke, a white and red mech stepped out of the building into which Blurr had been slammed during the fight with Fracture. "You bots are in pathetic shape," he commented before grabbing both bots and taking them inside. "Better get you patched up ASAP. I got a feeling Cybertron's gonna need you."


	11. OMEGA SUPREME

While Blurr was rescuing Ultra Magnus and subsequently swearing his loyalty to the Guardian Corps, Perceptor and Wheeljack started to become restless, still waiting for Scooter's next report.

"It has been twelve deca-cycles since Scooter's last communique," announced Perceptor. "I am becoming rather concerned about his well-being."

"He probably got carried away hackin' into Shockwave's computer network. You know how he gets," commented Wheeljack.

"Indeed," replied a somewhat weary Perceptor as he attempted to raise Scooter on comm. "Such over-abscorption can prove disavantageous in a potential combat zone." He turned back to the communication array. "Scooter, do you read me? This is Perceptor. What is your status?"

There was no reply, only static, which only heightened the scientist's anxiety. "Scooter, if you're operational, please respond!"

The static persisted without a word from the young hacker, causing Perceptor to sigh and shake his head.

"You don't think Shockwave slagged the kid, so you?"

"Unfortunately, I have little reason to assume, or hope, otherwise. It is quite unlike him to refuse to answer his communicator."

"If he did go offline, let's just hope his sacrifice wasn't in vain. He's a master hacker, and he did manage to foul up the Omega Sentinel prototype."

"Indeed, but the finalized units may already be in production," countered the elder scientist. "I recommend we attempt to heighten the Institute of Science's defenses."

"I'm already on it," replied the younger mechanical engineer as he resumed work on a force field generator. "If I get this baby online, it'll cover the Institute in a force shield that's nigh-impenetrable. The only downside is that I'll have to divert pretty much all the Institute's power to it."

Teletraan Alpha, the supercomputer that managed all the electronic systems within the Institute of Science, deployed a small hovering probe from a panel in its main console and proceeded to scan Wheeljack's in-progress creation. Wheeljack shooed the small drone away. "If you weren't a non-sentient computer AI, Teletraan, I'd be askin' you to be patient. This isn't done yet."

"Projection: At maximum power consumption, force shield generator will operate for approximately fifteen deca-cycles. Omega Sentinels will persist in assault until shield power is depleted," the computer announced.

"How do you figure that, Teletraan? Have you seen their specs or something?" the Engineer asked skeptically.

"Unfortunately, I believe it would be in our best interest to consider Teletraan's predictions," countered Perceptor. "After all, they have a rather uncanny accuracy record. Were it not patently unscientific to do so, I would be inclined to believe that it possesses prophetic capabilities."

"Good thing I don't believe in hocus-pocus prophecies," quipped Wheeljack, internally hoping that this would be the one time the computer's prediction would be wrong.

"Nor do I, and in this case, I would prefer to discount the current prediction, but the lack of contact from Scooter and the chaos transpiring throughout Iacon would suggest that it is most likely accurate."

"Attention! Proximity Alert! Incoming Omega Sentinel!" Teletraan announced, soon displaying the approaching machine on its main screen.

"Aw, slag," muttered Wheeljack as he continued to work. "Looks like I'm running out of time."

"Omega Sentinel is damaged. Omega Sentinel is accompanied by Guardian Security Chief Ironhide and unidentified Matrix Bearer. 99.994% probability of Matrix Bearer being High Guardian Orion Pax."

Wheeljack breathed a sigh of relief. If Ironhide and Orion were with this Sentinel and unharmed, then it was most likely to be the rogue prototype. "Let ''em in, Teletraan."

Teletraan Alpha complied, opening the main entrance to the Institute to allow Optimus, Ironhide, and the still-injured Omega Supreme to enter. Perceptor quickly rose from his seat to greet them. "Hmm...It would appear as though this unit is missing its left appendage. Is this the prototype?"

"Yes, it is," replied Prime. "He has given himself the name 'Omega Supreme.'"

The red-hued scientist smiled. "Welcome to the Cybetron Institute of Science, Omega Supreme. Your arrival is most fortuitous, provided I can complete the necessary repairs before the Omega Sentinels arrive."

Wheeljack glanced away from his project to get a look at the behemoth of a robot, immediately being struck by an idea that, at the moment, sounded brilliant. "Hmm...What if I downscale this force field generator and install it into Omega himself?" he asked out loud. "It'd be covering a smaller area, so it wouldn't create as much of an energy drain...and I'm sure I could probably boost efficiency somehow."

"Omega Supreme, despite his lack of a Spark, is apparently a sentient being," argued Perceptor. "Do not proceed without his consent."

"Who do you think I am? Shockwave? It's up to him whether or not to go through with the upgrade."

"Offer: Accepted. Entering Standby Mode," Omega replied before shutting himself down.

"While you and Perceptor work, Ironhide and I will try to hold the other Sentinels off in case they arrive before you're finished," announced Prime.

"Looks like you've already taken a bit of a beating," countered the inventor. "Those Omega Sentinels would slag you both in a nano-click."

Optimus placed a servo on Wheeljack's shoulder. "Wheeljack, there is no sacrifice too great in the defense of freedom. I have reason to doubt that the Decepticons would stop their onslaught here."

Wheeljack sighed. "Point taken. I've seen what it looks like out there. The sooner this nightmare's over, the better." With that, Wheeljack and Perceptor joined forces in repairing and upgrading the rogue Omega Sentinel Prototype while Optimus and Ironhide readied themselves for battle and positioned themselves on either side of the complex.

Back in Kaon, Shockwave, after handing Scooter's remains to a pair of worker drones, returned to his previous task of monitoring Omega Sentinel production. His single red optic glowed with satisfaction when he saw that production was back on schedule. "Shockwave to Megatron," he spoke into his commlink, "Omega Sentinel production is on schedule. The first unit will be online in six mega-cycles."

"Excellent. When it lays waste to the Institute of Science, it shall set a grand example of what is to become of anyone who dares to defy the Decepticon Empire," the self-appointed ruler of Cybertron replied with a triumphant chuckle.

While Shockwave simply continued to monitor the creation of the first production model Omega Sentinel, Perceptor and Wheeljack worked feverishly to repair and upgrade Omega Supreme, hoping that their efforts would be enough to save the Institute of Science and thwart Megatron's plans for domination. After all, if the tyrant's new ultimate weapon could be defeated, he would be a bit less intimidating to the people of Cybertron. Six mega-cycles after their work began, it was interrupted by an alert from Teletraan Alpha.

"Unidentified craft incoming," the AI announced. "Estimated time to arrival: 55 deca-cycles. Recommendation: Complete upgrades on Omega Supreme."

The mysterious craft of which Teletraan spoke took the form of a large battleship with a color scheme identical to Omega Supreme's. As it made its way to the Institute of Science, it fired its weapons at the scant number of Guardian Troopers lining the path between Kaon and the CIS, seriously wounding or killing whomever dared to fire on it. A commanding officer with a teal-gray paint job watched in horror as the craft continued its assault. "Of all the glitch-riddled, crank-jammin'," he grumbled as the shots he fired failed to deter the approaching vehicle. "WHAT THE FRAG IS THAT THING?" he bellowed as it fired a large, powerful beam that incinerated every bot in its path.

"Are you expecting me to know?" snarked the yellow-green mech standing next to him, who was wondering the same thing. "Obviously, it's the thing that's gonna reduce us to molten slag if we don't fall back."

"And let that thing into Iacon?" argued the elder bot. "You got some crossed circuits, Springer? We gotta stop this thing or go offline tryin'!"

"Right," Springer replied with his usual sarcasm before drawing his sword and leaping at the invader, hoping that melee attacks would be more effective. He landed atop the machine and slashed at one of its gun turrets, slicing it off before an identical turret mounted parallel to the destroyed one took aim at him. As it fired, Springer leapt out of the way and charged at the offending weapon, intending to slice it off as he had done its companion.

"Resistance is futile," boomed a deep, monotone voice from the craft before it began to reconfigure itself into a robotic form, knocking Springer off as it did so. His teal-hued commanding officer quickly broke his lieutenant's fall, his optics widening as the mystery craft completed its transformation.

"So what do we do now, Kup?" asked Springer. "That thing's either gonna vaporize us or stomp us into sheet metal."

Kup didn't answer. To him, the form the invading craft assumed was frighteningly familiar. "A Dark Sentinel?" he asked in disbelief, hoping that he wasn't seeing what he thought he was seeing. After all, the Dark Sentinels were disabled and destroyed during the war against the Quintessons, a war Kup was old enough to have fought in. He remembered, in painful detail, the damage that a single Dark Sentinel could do to a whole platoon of rebels.

"That's impossible, isn't it?" asked Springer. "The history data-cons say they were all shut down and destroyed when we sent the Quints packing."

"Either they were wrong," Kup began as he dodged another blast from the gargantuan robot, "or that glitch-head Shockwave made some new ones. He's the only bot who would THINK to resurrect those monsters."

"No kidding. If Metron...err...Megatron was able to spring prisoners from the most secure sectors of the stockade, he must've sprung that lunatic." The green warrior turned his head when he heard the roar of another powerful engine approaching from Iacon. "Great! There's another one!"

Much to the surprise and relief of both Kup and Springer, the new arrival began firing on the still-advancing Omega Sentinel, successfully making dents in the large robot's armor.

"Upgrades: Complete," their savior announced. "Omega: Supreme!"

Omega transformed into his own robot mode and looked down at the two smaller bots. "Retreat: Advised," he spoke while continuing to fire on the Sentinel. "Omega defend."

"You're on our side?" asked an incredulous Kup.

"Affirmative," Omega responded. "Enter Iacon. Allies: Waiting. Omega engage Sentinel."

Kup and Springer nodded before transforming and rolling into Iacon at top speed, both relieved that their fellow Guardians were able to gain control of at least one of Shockwave's creations.


	12. OMEGA'S STAND

Shockwave, still situated in his underground lab in Kaon, watched intently as Omega Supreme engaged the Omega Sentinel, allowing Springer and Kup to join their comrades in Iacon. Omega seemed to be getting the upper hand, having pierced a hole in his opponent's chest armor. "It would appear that I underestimated the Sentinel's opposition," the Decepticon scientist said to himself. "Fortunately, though, this can easily be rectified." He pulled up the schematic of the prototype that had become Omega Supreme. "With this, my Sentinel will know exactly where to strike." He proceeded to punch in a series of commands, beaming the schematic directly to the Omega Sentinel, who stood still as he received and processed the information.

Omega Supreme, naturally, took advantage of this moment of inactivity to plunge his claw-arm into the hole in the Sentinel's chest, latching onto and ripping out vital weapon control circuitry. The Sentinel ran a system scan, assessing the damage before thrusting its own claw arm into Omega's midsection, knocking the prototype backwards and denting his armor.

"Sentinel, damage: Critical. Retreat: Advised," Omega Supreme intoned, attempting to taunt his opponent. Sentinel said nothing, instead taking advantage of the elder bot's slight distraction to aim for what, according to his schematics, was the weakest point in his contruction.

Omega, sensing that the Sentinel was preparing to fire whatever weapon it had that was still intact, decided to activate his force field, surrounding himself in an aura of energy that would reflect whatever energy weapon his opponent decided to hit him with. By the time the Sentinel fired its still-functional head cannon, it was too late. Omega's force field functioned as intended, reflecting the blast back at the Sentinel, who was not fast enough to avoid being hit by the reflected shot, which burned through the shield covering the robot's vulnerable face. Omega followed this up with a powerful punch from his claw arm, causing more significant damage and sending his opponent sliding backwards as he analyzed the situation.

"Energy shield active," the Sentinel observed out loud. "Energy weapons: Not viable. Conclusion..."

The Sentinel's verbal analysis was cut off by another punch to the face, which, although less forceful than the one before, still managed to do enough damage to cause the machine's head to start sparking violently.

"Talk...Excessive," commented Omega as he felt his energy level beginning to ebb. He deactivated his force field, refocusing his energy into his arm cannon and firing on the Sentinel's head one more time, reducing it to a heap of molten metal and causing the powerful robot to shut down.

His opponent defeated, Omega collapsed onto the ground, his killing blow using up nearly all of his remaining energy. Before shutting down himself, he echoed the phrase from which his name was derived. "Omega: Sacrificed. Omega: Supreme."

Optimus Prime, who had arrived on the scene just in time to hear Omega's final words, smiled beneath his battle mask. "Thank you, Omega. You saved the Institute of Science..and my friends within. You are indeed worthy of the name 'Omega Supreme.' You shall be rewarded with true life."

Just then, Ironhide, Kup, Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Springer arrived. "Looks like the force field upgrade paid off," commented the mechanical engineer. "It definitely pooped him out though."

"Get him back to the Institute and refuel him," commanded Prime. "He'll need to have enough power to make it to Vector Sigma. It is time to give him the opportunity to truly live."

Both scientists saluted as they summoned a Heavy Transport Drone to carry the giant, following closely behind it as it carried the weakened Omega back to the CIS. They were all relieved that the threat of the Sentinel had been averted, but were not ready to let their guard down. Megatron no doubt had a backup plan.


	13. ATTACK ON THE INSTITUTE

Back at the Institute, Perceptor and Wheeljack monitored Omega Supreme's refueling process while Prime and the others guarded the perimeter of the complex, fearing that there could be another Decepticon attack at any moment. Hopefully, they wouldn't send another Omega Sentinel in.

It wasn't long before Ironhide's keen sensors picked up the sound of three approaching engines. He quickly drew his weapon and aimed in the direction from which the vehicles approached, only to lower it and smile when they came into view, relieved that at least two were known to be friendly. "Ultra Magnus! Looks like Ratchet did a bang-up job of patchin' ya up after ya tangled with Megatron."

Ultra Magnus transformed and smiled warmly at the Security Chief. "Indeed he did, and this civilian," he began, pointing to the bot that, to Ironhide, was a stranger, "went above and beyond himself to rescue me from Megatron's Deployer lackey."

Blurr transformed and grinned. "The guy was pretty thoroughly slagged when I saw him being dragged along the pavement like a burnt-out engine block. I couldn't let that continue. He's the Supreme Commander of the Elite Guard! Besides, no dumb Deployer could hope to keep up with me!"

Ironhide chuckled. "Young bot's got some bearin's fer a racer," he commented, "not to mention a bit of an ego. Either way, he's a welcome addition to our little rag-tag team."

"I agree," nodded Magnus. "We're going to need all the help we can get. The Decepticons seem poised to completely take over Cybertron. Megatron has already assassinated Sentinel Prime."

"He's also taken out the entire Council...an' too many Elite Guard-bots an' Guardians to count," added Ironhide.

The Elite Guard Supreme Commander sighed. "Looks like Maccadam was right. Things are going to get worse before they get better."

"If slaggin' Sentinel Prime, the Council, an' much o' the Elite Guard an' Guardian Corps wasn't enough, it seems Megatron's buddy Shockwave's been buildin' 'is own Dark Sentinel clones. Fortunately, the prototype turned on 'im. He's inside gettin' fueled up for a trip to Vector Sigma."

"It's no doubt something our rogue Sentinel friend has earned."

"I'd say so," replied the rough-and-tumble Security Chief. "He wore 'imself out fightin' another Sentinel that was on its way here. Shockwave must be mass-producin' those things."

"If that's the case, then Cybertron is indeed in dire straits," commented Magnus.

"Heh, no problem! I'll just send the 'Cons on the fast track to the scrap heap," boasted Blurr with a cocky smirk. "I already wrecked a couple of 'em."

"Don't let yer first victory in battle go to yer processor, kid. I reckon you ain't even armed."

Ratchet simply shook his head. "You'll just keep telling yourself that until you get another couple of holes punched in your chassis, which I'll no doubt have to patch up."

"Aww...Come on, Doc-bot! You're talking to the Fastest Bot Online here!"

Before Blurr could gloat any more, a black and purple jet appeared seemingly out of nowhere and fired on him, striking him in the back and sending him sliding into the wall of the Institute against which Ironhide stood. The Security Chief responded by getting in front of the speedster and firing on the attacking jet, who simply laughed before disappearing again, only to reappear above the red bot and drop a Concussion Bomb that struck the complex with enough force to blow a hole in the Institute's ceiling and send Blurr and Ironhide flying backward toward Ratchet and Ultra Magnus.

"I'll tell ya right now, kid," Ironhide said sternly as he got back up on his feet. "War ain't no Iacon 5000. It's gonna take a lot more than speed to win."

Blurr ignored the elder bot's advice, instead getting a running start before leaping into the air and attempting to drop down onto the elusive assailant, who simply teleported out of the way, leaving the speed demon to crash head-first into a still-intact section of the Institute roof. "Not so fast now, are ya, punk?" the Decepticon taunted. "You might as well go back to racing, 'cause you're no match for me!"

"Aww, shut up, Skywarp," Ironhide quipped before firing on the teleport-happy Decepticon. Shortly afterward, he found himself struck by a blast that rendered him motionless in addition to causing searing pain.

"He's not the only one you have to worry about," smirked a gray and red jet, who transformed into a sleek winged robot and launched several missiles from pods in his chest. The missiles flew off in different directions, some targeting the building while others targeted the bots guarding it. One of the missiles struck the still-immobilized Ironhide, impacting his chest with explosive force, knocking him to the ground, and leaving a large dent in his armor.

Ironhide grunted as the immobilizing effect of the gray Decepticon's initial blast wore off, allowing him to get back up on his feet. "It'll take more than that to keep me down, Starscream!" he shouted before firing several shots at the Decepticon flyer, who dodged most of them before being struck in the wing by the last one.

"You'll have to be quicker on the draw if you want to shoot me down, you out-dated rust-bucket!" Starscream retorted before reverting to jet mode and firing his paralyzing Null Ray on Ironhide again. This time, though, the old Guardian jumped out of the way before returning fire, hoping more of his shots would hit this time. This time, his shots hit, doing enough damage to blow off part of Starscream's left wing, causing him to struggle to stay airborne.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the FORMER leader of the Decepticons," came the ever-sarcastic voice of Springer, who had used his incredible jumping ability to make his way to the Institute's roof. "Guess you didn't have the ball bearings to take out Sentinel Prime yourself, did you?" the green Guardian taunted before drawing his sword and slicing into Starscream's right wing, cutting it off can causing the Decepticon's flight to be further destabilized until he nose-dived into the ground.

"Good timin', Springer," smiled Ironhide before giving the green swordsman a thumbs-up.

Starscream, meanwhile, began to panic. Losing his ability to fly, to him, was devastating, as he relished the sense of superiority it gave him. "Just wait...until the Sentinel gets here!"

"What's the matter, Starscream? Afraid to fight when ya can't fly?"

The cowardly Decepticon slowly transformed back into his robot mode and stood up. "This isn't over, former Guardians!" he shouted as the menacing warship form of an Omega Sentinel approached. "OMEGA SENTINEL," barked Starscream, "LEVEL THE COMPLEX! DESTROY EVERYONE!"

The Sentinel complied, firing powerful laser blasts from its turrets that burned through the Institute's walls and ceiling, eventually taking a toll on its structural integrity.

Inside, alarms blared as Teletraan Alpha announced the damage being done the the building by the Sentinel's weapons.

"Tell us something we DON'T know, Teletraan!" shouted Wheeljack as he pushed Perceptor out of the way of a falling girder.

"Estimated time to structural collapse: 5 deca-cycles. Initiating system backup protocols," the AI announced as it downloaded its data into one of the many drones in the complex.

"What is Omega Supreme's fuel level?" asked a concerned Perceptor.

"Refueling is 76% complete," the computer replied. "Initiating emergency reactivation."

Omega Supreme soon came back online, slowly standing up and assessing the situation before him. "Guardians: Endangered," he observed as the building around him continued to crumble. "Omega defend." With that, the rogue Sentinel began blasting away chunks of debris, clearing a path for Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Teletraan Alpha's drone to escape. The two scientists quickly transformed and sped through the path Omega created, with the Teletraan drone following close behind.

Once all three were safely out of harm's way, Omega turned his weapons on the advancing Sentinel, who responded by transforming to robot mode and grabbing Optimus Prime with its claw-arm and holding him out in its predecessor's line of fire. "Retaliation is not advised," it said. "Matrix Bearer will be terminated."

Omega lowered his weapons, knowing that there was little change of him being able to fire without at least seriously damaging his friend and commander. The Sentinel seized upon this opportunity to concentrate all its firepower on Omega, the force of which tore though his armor in several places, causing Energon to leak from the deepest wounds.

"Power...dwindling," Omega announced weakly.

"Omega, use your force field!" commanded Optimus Prime, still being held hostage in the claw of the malicious giant.

"Power...insufficient," the prototype Sentinel argued. "Energy reflection: Terminal."

Optimus struggled to get his right arm free of the Sentinel's grip, hoping to use his Energon Axe to cut himself free. This only caused the Sentinel to tighten its grip on the Prime.

"Is it just me, or is this Sentinel smarter than the one we fought earlier?" Springer asked rhetorically.

"It's smarter alright, lad, and that means we gotta fight smarter," replied Kup. "You try to cut Optimus free. The rest of us will keep that big lug busy."

"Right," Springer nodded before drawing his sword and leaping into the air, then bringing the blade down on the Sentinel's wrist. The other Guardians positioned themselves behind the large machine, concentrating their fire on the knee joints. Perceptor and Wheeljack soon joined them while the Teletraan drone hovered above them and analyzed the Sentinel. It quickly locked onto the larger drone's control frequency and began transmitting commands of its own, instructing the giant to release Optimus Prime and stand down.

The Sentinel shook as Teletraan's commands were received and processed, eventually forcing it to open its claw arm and drop the hostage Prime. "In-ter-ference," the behemoth droned as it attempted to counter Teletraan's hack. While it did so, Omega Supreme channeled all his remaining energy into a powerful blast aimed at the Sentinel's head, burning through the shielding and frying its most vital components. "Omega sacrifice," he repeated yet again as the last of his power drained away and the Sentinel shut down. "Omega...Supreme..."

Wheeljack looked up to face the Teletraan drone that was still hovering just above him. "Nice bit of sabotage, Teletraan. Did you learn that from Scooter?"

"Affirmative," Teletraan replied. "Scooter instructed me on multiple hacking techniques. He believed such knowledge would be necessary someday."

"Well, it saved our circuits, so I'd say the kid had a point. Are you sure you're not sentient?"

"Unable to determine."

"Thank you, Teletraan 1," Optimus said warmly. "You have proven yourself a great asset to our cause." He then addressed the other bots who fought at his side. "We may be the last remnants of the Guardian Corps and Elite Guard, but we cannot allow that to discourage us. We still maintain autonomy from Megatron's tyrannical sway. From this day forth, we shall assume the moniker that our forebears assumed as they stood against the Quintessons. Henceforth, we are Autobots."

Prime's allies all let out a resounding cheer, their leader's speech having boosted their morale and determination.


	14. HEART OF CYBERTRON

Shockwave's single optic glowed hot with rage as he watched his second Omega Sentinel go down to the rebellious prototype. Megatron was no doubt beginning to lose his confidence in the mad scientist's creations. Shockwave, however, was still convinced that he had created the ultimate weapon. He would simply have to make yet more adjustments to the future Sentinels' programming. He sighed as he activated his comm channel to his leader.

"Lord Megatron, I regret to inform you that the second Omega Sentinel has fallen. However, I am further upgrading their programming now."

"Its failure was not a total loss, Shockwave. The devastation it wrought has sown fear through the whole of Cybertron. Continue your work. I, meanwhile, have discovered the location of the Heart of Cybertron. With it, I shall command the raw might of Primus himself! NOTHING will stand against me, not even the Prime!"

Shockwave silently scoffed at his commander's faith in mythological artifacts. To him, the power of science had the potential to far exceed that of any mythical object on the planet. To him, Primus and the Thirteen were mere legends that the weak-minded of Cybertron clung to to discredit science. Still, Shockwave owed his very freedom to Megatron, and it would be unwise to question his leader's intentions. He simply closed the comm connection and went back to work on improving his Omega Sentinels.

Meanwhile, deep in the bowels of the planet, a pink and fuscia femme sat cross-legged on the floor in front of a green crystal that radiated with immense power. A large halberd lay on the floor between her and the crystal's pedestal. This femme was Elita One, a former member of the Guardian Corps who had been called upon by Alpha Trion to guard this sacred crystal from anyone who would seek its power for their own personal gain. It was a job that kept her isolated from the rest of Cybertronian society, but it was too important for her to shirk.

She stretched her right hand outward as if to grasp something, shuttered her optics, and began to hum, attempting to channel the power of the Heart of Cybertron into her halberd, both to power it up, and to summon it to her without having to physically touch it. It was a technique that would prove useful if she were ever to be disarmed in the heat of battle. As she focused on the Heart of Cybertron, the weapon began to glow and rise off the ground as if under its own power. Eventually, the halberd stood completely upright and glowed bright white with power. The femme concentrated harder still, and the weapon moved closer to her, eventually getting close enough that she was able to grasp it in her hand.

"Elita One," came the voice of Alpha Trion.

"What is it, Alpha Trion?" the Heart's protector asked, not at all surprised by the elder's ability to contact her here.

"I fear that the Heart of Cybertron is in grave peril. The rogue High Guardian Metron, now known as Megatron, seeks its power for himself."

"Metron," she repeated to herself. The name was all too familiar to her. Before taking up the mantle of Guardian of the Heart of Cybertron, she, along with Metron, had been a close friend of Orion Pax. She was wary of Metron, however, as she could sense a certain darkness within his Spark even then. At the same time, she gravitated toward Orion, in whom she sensed a purity equal to the future Decepticon leader's darkness. Orion returned her feelings and, when both were off-duty, one could seldom be seen without the other. In time, rumors began to circulate that Orion and Elita would become bonded Spark-mates. Even Ultra Magnus could sense the chemistry between the two.

Elita sighed. She couldn't deny that she missed Orion deeply, and her feelings of loneliness would sometimes interfere with her meditation sessions and break her focus on her duty. She had to banish such thoughts though, reminding herself that she was doing this for the sake of not just her beloved, but the whole of Cybertron. She tightened her grip on her halberd, tapping the floor with it as she turned to face the entrance to the Heart of Cybertron's chamber. Her expression became serious, and she took on an alert stance. Megatron could arrive at any moment. She had to be ready.

"Be cautious, Elita One," warned the voice of the ancient sage. "Do not underestimate Megatron's power. He has already felled Sentinel Prime."

"I understand."

"Fear not, though, for you will not be alone. I have already informed Optimus Prime of Megatron's intentions."

"Optimus Prime?"

"You know him as Orion Pax. The very traits that endeared him to your Spark have afforded him the mantle of Prime, as many of his peers have suspected it would."

Elita smiled, comforted at the thought that her would-be Spark-mate had reached the potential she knew he had. She could only hope that he would keep Megatron from reaching her post.


	15. OPEN THE GATE

"Autobots," began Optimus Prime, having received the same warning from Alpha Trion as Elita One, "it has come to my attention that Megatron seeks the Heart of Cybertron. I must prevent him from reaching his destination."

"Alone?" asked a concerned Perceptor.

"Yes. I need you all to defend the surface. The Decepticons must not be allowed to gain further ground. Though the Guardian Corps and Elite Guard may be effectively dissolved, we must still honor our commitment to protecting the innocent of this world. Besides, it would be wise to repair Omega Supreme...and yourselves."

Ratchet saluted. "I'll do my best to get everyone in tip-top shape, but what about you? You look to have sustained some injuries yourself."

"Time is of the essence, Ratchet. If I do not depart now, Megatron will have the advantage. Ultra Magnus?"

"Here, Prime," the leader of the old Elite Guard answered with a salute.

"I leave you in command of our forces in my absence. I know you won't let me down."

"Understood. Good luck, Prime."

Optimus transformed and drove away, heading for the Hall of Records, where the entrance to Cybertron's ancient catacombs lay hidden, guarded only by Alpha Trion.

Megatron, meanwhile, waited on his ill-gotten throne in the Citadel of the Primes. He would let Optimus Prime open the passage, which could only be opened by a Matrix Bearer. As soon as he saw Prime enter the Hall, he followed stealthily behind, hoping his nemesis wouldn't spot him, but ready to fight if he did.

Sure enough, Prime's keen audio sensors picked up the rumble of the Decepticon Leader's engine. He quickly transformed and turned to face him, readying his Ion Blaster. "This is as far as I'll allow you to go, Megatron," he threatened, his optics narrowing in determination.

Megatron responded by transforming as well. "I've been waiting for you, Optimus Prime," he replied with a devilish grin. "After all, only a Matrix Bearer can open the passage."

"Then it shall remain shut!" countered Prime before firing a shot into Megatron's mid-section, knocking him back and creating a dent in the armor. Megatron responded by returning fire with his Fusion Cannon, hitting Optimus in the shoulder as he attempted to dodge and melting away a couple layers of armor. He then proceeded to draw his swords and charge at the Autobot leader, performing a cross-slash technique that left an X-shaped gash in Prime's chest.

"Only a Matrix Bearer can open the passage, eh?" taunted Megatron. "If that is the case, I shall simply excise the Matrix from your chassis!" He brought both swords together and jumped into the air, attempting to perform a dual-blade jump-slash. Before the attack could connect, though, Optimus fired his shoulder launchers, knocking Megatron onto the floor and creating two deep blast-marks in his chest armor.

Undeterred, Megatron pulled himself back up, leaving his swords behind as he charged toward his opponent for a tackle. Before he could, however, he was struck by another blast from Prime's Ion Blaster, causing him to stumble backward a bit.

As he regained his footing, Megatron caught a clear view of Alpha Trion and smiled as a new plan formed within his devious mind. He knew Prime well enough to know that he would protect the old bot, even at the cost of his own life. He charged up his Fusion Cannon and aimed for Alpha's head, giving Prime a clear ultimatum. "Open the passageway, Prime, or Alpha Trion will be relegated to this history data-cons, just like Sentinel Prime and the Council!"

Prime acted quickly and decisively, positioning himself between the weapon and the elder. "If you wish to fire on him, then you must first go through me!"

"Very well," Megatron smiled before unleashing the full might of his primary weapon at Prime's chest, knocking the Autobot leader backwards and burning through his weakened armor, exposing the Matrix, which pulsed in time with a Matrix-shaped rune on the vault, causing it to open. "Either way, I get what I want," Megatron said with a vile chuckle as he entered the open door.

"No!" Prime cried as he gave chase, ignoring his injuries.

"It's too late, Prime, and you're far too damaged to go much further. Besides, you served your purpose. Still, I shall be merciful and let you live just long enough to see me complete my conquest of Cybertron and my ascension to Godhood!"

Just as anticipated, Prime collapsed from his injuries and went into Stasis Lock, leaving Megatron free to venture through the catacombs to the Heart of Cybertron's resting place.


	16. BATTLE AT THE CENTER OF CYBERTRON

Megatron continued down the winding corridor leading to the Heart of Cybertron's resting place, confident that Optimus Prime was at least incapacitated and that whoever guarded the artifact would be no match for him. He bore no regrets for the underhanded tactic he used to defeat Prime. It served his purpose, and he considered his disregard for any sort of code of honor to be an advantage. Nothing was off the proverbial table. To Megatron, everything was fodder.

He rounded yet another bend and was finally able to see his prize glowing on its pedestal. He transformed, but before he could reach out and grab the vessel of Primus' raw power, he found himself staring at the point of Elita One's energized halberd.

"Come no closer, Megatron!" Elita commanded, her expression stern.

"Ah...Elita One! It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"Dispense with the false pleasantries! I know why you're here."

Megatron chuckled as he raised his Fusion Cannon. "Do you think you can defeat me with such a primitive weapon?"

Elita said nothing. Instead, she began twirling her weapon in front her at such a speed that it became a glowing green blur that covered her most vital components. Megatron simply smirked at this display and fired, only for his shot to be absorbed by the femme's makeshift shield. He growled in frustration and continued to fire, anger rising with every shot that ended up wasted. When it reached a boiling point, he leapt into the air, aiming to drop-kick the fierce Guardian, who responded by raising her improvised shield above her head, where it created a powerful shock wave that sent Megatron flying backwards into a wall. She followed this up by charging at the tyrant with her halberd drawn, ready to thrust it into him as he pulled himself back onto his feet.

Megatron simply snarled and grabbed the weapon, preventing Elita from performing her shield technique again while he fired a charged Fusion Cannon blast at her midsection, blowing a hole in her armor and forcing her to lose her grip on her weapon, which he tossed away with enough force to send it flying into a far wall, into which it embedded itself.

"I must admit. Your techniques are quite impressive, but what use are they now?" Megatron said with a vile laugh before firing on Elita again.

This time, however, the femme simply dodged the blast, all the while focusing on the Heart of Cybertron, attempting to channel its energy to regain her weapon.

"Processor Over Matter, eh?" scoffed the Decepticon leader. "Such mystical nonsense." He charged forward, throwing a powerful punch at Elita's already damaged abdomen, causing her to wince in pain as she was sent flying into the base of the Heart's pedestal. Before she could pull herself back up, Megatron grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. "So you are the one Alpha Trion entrusted with guarding the Heart of Cybertron? Clearly the old fool has grown senile." He tightened his grip, hoping to slowly crush his victim, who continued to meditate despite her pain, her optics glowing a bright green as her halberd seemed to pull itself out of the wall.

Optimus Prime, whose internal repair systems had healed enough of his damage to bring him back online, slowly rose to his feet and looked around, eventually catching a glimpse of Elita's halberd as it removed itself from the wall and proceeded to fly back to her. He followed, remembering how, even in her Guardian Corps days, Elita was fond of using polearms. "Elita," he said out loud as he continued to follow the flying weapon, allowing it to lead him to both his long-lost Spark-mate and his mortal enemy.

As soon as the halberd was within her reach, Elita grabbed hold of it and thrust it into Megatron's side with enough force to cause him to lose his grip on her. "Processor Over Matter? Mystical nonsense?" she retorted, "Empty words from the mouth of one who seeks the Power of Primus!" She raised her halberd into the air, her optics again glowing green as an aura of power surrounded her. "The Power of Primus does not belong to those whose Sparks pulse with greed and self-interest!" She charged forward again, thrusting her powered-up weapon into Megatron's side once more, piercing through his armor and shocking him into Stasis Lock.

Optimus Prime simply watched, impressed by Elita's skill, bravery, and connection to the artifact which she guarded. "Elita One," he began, regarding the femme with the same warmth he had as Orion Pax, "It has been far too long. I must commend you on your skill and dedication. I assume it was not easy to leave the outside world behind."

"It wasn't, Optimus," she replied, her expression softening as her optics met his. "Alpha Trion knew, though, that one whose Spark was twisted by greed and selfish ambition would one day threaten the Heart of Cybertron. It would seem that that day has come. Time flows as a river, and as the waters of a river cycle round, so too does history repeat. Megatron, it would seem, is following in the footsteps of Megatronus, the Fallen Prime."

"It would appear so," confirmed Optimus. "It would seem that his thirst for power cannot be quenched. Even the conquest of Cybertron would not satiate him."

"It will not," came the voice of Alpha Trion, which only Optimus and Elita could hear, "and this will not be his first attempt to gain the Heart of Cybertron. Future attempts will only see him using greater force, including the power of the Omega Sentinels. They, and the Decepticons, are beginning to storm the planet en masse, killing many, but bringing those with the strength to resist them together as an army. Cybertron's darkest hour is now upon us. Our world is at war. I fear there is only one way to keep the Heart of Cybertron safe. It must be sent off-world."

"That will plunge this planet into darkness!" argued Elita. "The Heart of Cybertron is the well-spring of Cybertron's energy. Without it, our resources will be finite, and war will only deplete them more rapidly!"

"Yes, but there are boundless sources of energy throughout the universe, lying untapped on even uninhabited worlds," Alpha Trion explained reassuringly. "They shall sustain us, and, when peace returns, so too can the Heart of Cybertron."

"Won't that just spread this war to other worlds, both uninhabited and inhabited?" asked Prime, concerned for the wellbeing of all life in the universe.

"It will, but on each world the conflict touches, you will find allies who will give you the strength to overcome the trials ahead."

Optimus sighed. "I understand. I will inform the Autobots of your instructions, Alpha Trion."


	17. HEARTLESS

"Are ya out of yer motherboard, Prime?" blasted Ironhide after learning of Prime's intention to send the Heart of Cybertron off-world. "The Heart o' Cybertron is the power source fer the whole world...fer US! You send it into the far reaches o' space, an' our world dies a slow death!"

"This decision is not one I make on my own," Prime countered. "I do this at Alpha Trion's recommendation. If it remains in its place, Megatron will eventually gain control of it. He will not rest until he has claimed the Power of Primus for himself. That could also bring dire consequences."

"Alpha Trion? You're doing what Alpha Trion's telling you to do?" Blurr asked incredulously. "That bot's so old that half his brain chips must be fried by now. You're really gonna do what HE says? Can't you make your own decisions, Prime?"

"Listen, Blurr," Prime replied sternly, yet gently. "Alpha Trion's vast age affords him great wisdom, borne from a wealth of experience that we lack. It would be wise to at least consider his advice."

"The idea concerned me as well," added Elita One, who had followed Optimus Prime back to Iacon. "As Guardian of the Heart of Cybertron, I know very well the importance it holds to our world and its people. I questioned Alpha Trion too, but he explained that Megatron's attempts to claim the Heart will only increase in intensity. It's a matter of accepting the lesser of two evils. Do we allow Megatron to ascend to a level of power that could render him unstoppable, or do we allow the Heart of Cybertron to be lost to the cosmos? Either way, this planet would be plunged into darkness."

"When Megatron is defeated, we will retrieve the Heart of Cybertron and return it to its resting place," explained Prime. "Autobots, transform and roll out!"

At their leader's command, all the Autobots transformed into their alternate forms and followed him to Iacon's Space Bridge Terminal. Unbeknownst to them, however, Laserbeak sat perched atop a light post, recording their every word and relaying it to Soundwave, who attempted to contact his master.

"Soundwave to Megatron," he intoned. "Laserbeak reports...Autobots are set to send Heart of Cybertron off-world."

Back at the Heart of Cybertron's former resting place, Megatron came out of Stasis Lock just in time to receive his loyal drone's report.

"Order the Decepticons to intercept them and bring me the Heart of Cybertron. Destroy them if they dare resist."

Soundwave, having occupied the Citadel of the Primes with the other Decepticons besides Shockwave, turned to face his comrades. "Megatron's instructions: Intercept Autobots. Autobots en route to Iacon Space Bridge Terminal."

Starscream glared at the Deployer. "Megatron has given temporary command to this DRONE? FOOLISHNESS! It is I who should give the orders!"

Tankor growled and shoved Starscream into a wall. "You're not in charge anymore, Starscream! I'm gonna take my orders from Megatron from now on!"

Starscream raised his arm-mounted Null Ray cannon and fired, paralyzing the brute before kicking him away.

Soundwave fired a warning shot between the two embattled Decepticons. "Internal conflict will not be tolerated," he droned. "Decepticons, mobilize. Destination: Iacon Space Bridge Terminal."

"Right, let's turn those ex-Guardians to scrap metal!" Tankor exclaimed as the effects of the Null Ray wore off, allowing him to not only move, but transform into his missile tank mode. Fracture followed suit, cackling wildly as she transformed into her alternate mode and revved her engine. "This is going to be fun!" she laughed.

The other Decepticons also transformed before following Soundwave and Starscream to the Space Bridge Terminal.

Having arrived at their destination, Prime transformed into his robot mode and prepared to input the coordinates of one of Cybertron's colony worlds into the Space Bridge's control panel. Before he could punch the first button, however, a concerned Perceptor placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Prime, transporting the Heart of Cybertron through a Space Bridge is not advisable. Its raw energy will overload the transwarp field, resulting in an erratic teleportation. Its destination will be impossible to determine."

As Perceptor voiced his concerns, Teletraan 1 scanned the Heart of Cybertron, analyzing and recording its unique energy signature. It predicted, even before Perceptor mentioned the potential side-effects of sending the Heart through a Space Bridge, that such information would be necessary in the future.

"Heart of Cybertron...analysis complete," announced the AI. "Energy signature recorded."

"Acting on your own and doing the right thing again, Teletraan?" asked a surprised Wheeljack. "What did Scooter do to you?"

"Scooter performed multiple program upgrades. I am now able to act upon predictions when it is deemed necessary. I predicted that we could lose track of the Heart of Cybertron."

Optimus chuckled. "Well done, Teletraan. Your knowledge will be invaluable when the time for retrieval arrives." Once again, Prime turned to face the control panel. This time, though, he felt the impact of a missile on his back, causing him to take a defensive position and turn to face his assailant.

"You won't be takin' that Heart of Cybertron anywhere, Prime!" Tankor shouted before charging at the Autobot leader and tackling him to the ground. "You're gonna be the first Prime I get to pound into the pavement! Lord Megatron's gonna reward me for this!"

Optimus kicked the dim-witted Decepticon off of him and stood back up. "I hate to disappoint you, Tankor," he retorted before firing his Ion Blaster at the thuggish brawler, knocking him back further and burning a hole in his chest.

Starscream simply hovered over the unfolding battle, his optics fixated on the Heart of Cybertron as ambition welled up within him. "Why should I allow Megatron to gain the Heart of Cybertron," he thought, "when I can just as easily take it for myself?" He dive-bombed Elita One, who was currently holding the artifact, knocking it out of her hand before transforming and attempting to grab it for himself. Before he could, though, Blurr speedily snatched it before zipping over to Prime's side.

Fracture scowled, letting out a wicked chuckle before sending a Seismic Stomp on Blurr's direction, tripping the speedster up and sending the Heart of Cybertron flying into the Space Bridge's control panel so hard that it embedded itself into it, causing it to overload before activating the Bridge, creating a powerful wormhole that began dragging both Autobots and Decepticons into it.

Tankor's optics widened as he found himself being drawn into the portal. "Huh? What's going on here?"

"Fracture! You imbecile!" shouted Starscream.

"This portal is extremely unstable," observed the brilliant Autobot scientist. "The excessive energy input, combined with the physical damage to the control panel, has created an unstable transwarp field, and it's expanding rapidly. The Heart of Cybertron must be extricated immediately!"

Optimus nodded before deploying his Energon Axe and slicing through the control panel, releasing the powerful crystal and causing it to be sucked into the still-open portal, causing its pull to increase and drag the warring Cybertronians through it before it collapsed with a massive explosion, destroying the terminal completely, just as Megatron arrived.

The Decepticon leader growled in frustration as he surveyed the collateral damage from the fight. "Idiots!" he cursed. "Imbeciles! Can they not perform a simple task without my direct intervention?" He looked around once more, eventually spying a small avian form amid the rubble. He approached it and picked it up, smiling when he realized it was Laserbeak. It was surely out of Soundwave's control range by now, but Megatron figured he could still make use of the data stored on its hard drive. With Shockwave's help, he could perhaps locate Soundwave in the vastness of space, and where he found Soundwave, he would surely find the Heart of Cybertron. He transformed and headed for his chief scientist's lab in Kaon.


	18. ANOTHER PLACE AND TIME

The trip through the unstable Space Bridge portal was instantaneous, but also arduous. The Cybertronians now found themselves capturing brief glimpses of a world completely unlike their home before entering emergency stasis. Had they been allowed to fully take in their new surroundings, they would discover that they were on an organic world teeming with primitive life. Sapient life had yet to emerge, but would do so over the next few eons while the Autobots and Decepticons slept.

Meanwhile, on Cybertron, Megatron connected Laserbeak to Shockwave's main computer and accessed the data stored within the avian drone. He disregarded the footage of the battle at the Space Bridge terminal and continued scanning until he came across a much more promising file. Accessing it called up an image of the Heart of Cybertron, along with a stream of data that caused the Decepticon's lips to curl upward into a smile. "Excellent," he said out loud before turning to Shockwave. "Upload this data into the survey probes and launch them. Report to me the moment one detects the Heart of Cybertron."

"As you command, Lord Megatron," the scientist responded before punching a series of commands into the computer. "The data has been uploaded, and the probes have launched, but I have a question."

"And what would that be?"

"Who will maintain Decepticon control of Cybertron in your absence? I am merely a scientist and engineer. I am no military commander."

Megatron stroked his chin. It was a good question. His main forces had been sent off to parts unknown by an unstable Space Bridge portal, and they weren't necessarily the most unified or intelligent. Soundwave would have difficulty operating without instructions from his master, Starscream would try to take the Heart of Cybertron for himself and seize command, and the others weren't all that bright.

Suddenly, a red, gold, and black Deployer entered the control room. "Third-Generation Deployer Soundblaster is online," it droned. "I await your instructions, Megatron."

Megatron turned to face the new arrival. He looked to be a bit stronger than his predecessor, and gave of an air of also being more intelligent while still being subservient.

"While you were attempting to claim the Heart of Cybertron, I started a little side-project," Shockwave explained. "Why allow the dead of Cybertron to go to waste? If their processors are intact, and they are repaired and fitted with suitable AI systems, they could serve as adequate enforcers."

A dark purple and red moped skidded into the control room, parking beside Soundblaster before transforming into its robotic form. "This one may be my greatest creation yet," Shockwave boasted. "His AI is patterned after the mind of the fool who dared to sabotage the Omega Sentinel Prototype."

The newcomer spoke. "I am designated Ransack. I request permission to scan your neural patterns, Lord Megatron."

The Decepticon leader lowered his optics at the moped-bot. "For what purpose?" he asked.

"A drone with sufficient command capabilities can be created," Ransack replied. "It will maintain order among Decepticon forces in your absence, but remain subservient to you."

"Proceed then, Ransack."

Ransack complied, projecting a beam from his right optic that penetrated into Megatron's processor and copied all data related to military strategy and command. Once the necessary data was gathered, Ransack turned to face the computer, transmitting the data to it and instructing the automated manufacturing facility to construct Megatron's newest drone.

As Megatron's probes scanned the farthest reaches of space for the Heart of Cybertron and his warriors, drones, and Omega Sentinels battled the mounting resistance on Cybertron, time passed peacefully on the alien world where most of the Autobots and Decepticons slept, burying them beneath layers of rock and soil as the planet's life evolved. In time, sapient life would emerge in the form of bipedal organic creatures who would seem at least somewhat similar to the aliens among them. These beings would develop their own civilizations, fight wars among themselves, and organize themselves into 'nations' based on ethnic, philosophical, linguistic, and/or religious similarities. The most stable and economically prosperous of these nations would push the species technology forward over the millennia, eventually developing powerful machines and increasingly advanced computer and robotic technology. By what most of their kind would call the year 2019, they would discover the Cybertronians that had slept on their world for millions of years.


	19. A SLEEPING GIANT AWAKENS

Deep in the jungles of Mexico, amidst the ruins of the ancient Mayan Civilization, a group of archaeologists and paleontologists were in the process of digging around the site of an old temple, hoping to learn more about the lost civilization that once occupied it, as well as whatever may have come before.

One of the explorers, a tech-savvy 19-year-old named Andrea Morales, guided a small blue and white quad-copter drone down a newly dug tunnel to scout ahead before more substantial digging would be done. When it got too dark to see what the drone was seeing, she tapped an icon on her tablet that displayed a picture of a light bulb, activating the copter's powerful LED lights.

"Found anything interesting yet?" asked 18-year-old junior archaeologist Spike Wittleman.

"Not yet," Andrea answered, "but I can still take Cop-Tur deeper."

Spike just snickered, finding the nickname she had given her drone lame and cheesy. "Surely you would've thought of a better name for that drone by now. Blue Streak, maybe?"

"It's not fast enough for that name," Andrea fired back. "Besides, I think Cop-Tur works just fine."

"I guess it would for someone who binge-watches 80s cartoons at the campsite. Sometimes, I find it hard to believe you're 19."

"And blasting Masta Renegade is somehow more mature?" snarked Andrea, referring to Spike's favorite hip-hop artist, whos music he was fond of listening to a little too loudly. She, naturally, preferred game soundtracks and chiptunes.

"Why don't you guys stop bashing each other's tastes and focus on the dig?" came the voice of one Stan Wittleman, leader of the digging party and father of Spike.

"Aww, come on, Dad! We're just teasing, aren't we, Andrea?"

Andrea didn't respond, having been dumbstruck by what she was seeing on her tablet's screen. It looked to be made of metal and shaped like a large leg.

"Andrea? What's up?"

"Take a look at the screen, Spike."

Spike complied and looked at her tablet screen. "What the...OK, are you SURE your tablet isn't malfunctioning or something. That looks like a giant robot leg."

"Exactly," replied Andrea, "but there's no way the Mayans could build giant robots." She tapped another icon on her screen, instructing Cop-Tur to perform a carbon-dating scan on the mysterious leg. "It's...at least four million years old. It pre-dates humanity itself. Ridiculous as this may sound, I think it's an alien."

Stan came up behind them and took a look at the screen himself. "That's way too big to be some kid's robot toy," he commented. "Vast as this universe is, how can we really believe that we're alone? I say we dig deeper and see if we can find out for sure what that thing is." He motioned for the drivers of the heavier digging equipment to move in and dig out more of the land surrounding the robotic leg. Stan, meanwhile, took out his smartphone and pulled up a news article about a recent disaster that befell another archaeological party in Baghdad, Iraq. The official explanation was that the party was killed by terrorists, but conspiracy theories had begun to surface about an alien robot having been uncovered that subsequently attacked the diggers before taking on the form of a military jet. Under normal circumstances, he'd dismiss such a claim as implausible despite his love of conspiracy theories, but what Andrea and Cop-Tur discovered here was giving him second thoughts. Maybe an alien robot DID attack the archaeologists in Baghdad. If there was another alien robot here, he could only hope that it was much friendlier.

After four hours or so of continued digging with heavy equipment, the giant leg had given way to a more complete robotic form standing over 30 feet tall and looking rather powerful. Suddenly, the colossal machine's once-darkened eyes began to glow bright blue, and it pulled itself off the ground, effortlessly pushing aside the rest of the earth still covering it. it then looked around slowly at the scene before it. "Where am I?" it finally asked, its voice soft and gentle, yet bearing a certain sense of authority.

Andrea, unafraid of the giant robot that had just awakened, ran up to greet it. "You can talk? That's cool. Do you have a name?"

The titanic machine gazed down at the small organic being before it. "Yes," it responded. "My name is Optimus Prime. I come from the planet Cybertron. Where am I now, and what is your name?"

"My name is Andrea Morales, and this is Mexico...Earth."

"I have never heard of this planet," Prime stated plainly.

"Well, I've never heard of Cybertron, but we humans haven't explored much beyond our own solar system. Our tech must look super-primitive to you," Andrea laughed.

"Perhaps, but that would not be a reason to look down upon your race."

"So...you're not gonna start killing all humans, are you?" asked Spike.

"I would not. Such senseless genocide would be against all that I believe in. Unfortunately, not all members of my race would share my beliefs." Optimus rose to his feet, being careful not to harm Andrea as he did so. To her, and her fellow human diggers, his massive frame, now fully upright, was a sight to behold.

Stan then spoke up. "So...uh...Optimus, do you think there are others of your kind here that WOULD kill humans?"

"If the Decepticons are on this planet, then yes," Prime answered. "Do not fear, native one. If the Decepticons are here, then surely the Autobots are as well. I am the leader of the Autobots, and we will protect your kind from the Decepticons for as long as we are fated to remain here."

Andrea smiled. Meeting Optimus Prime was like a childhood fantasy come true. He was practically a superhero. "I should introduce my friends," she said, pointing to Spike. "This is Spike Wittleman." She then pointed to Stan. "This is his father, Stan. I guess you could say that Stan is Spike's...uhh...co-creator. Who created you?"

Optimus gave the teen an awkward stare. Like most Cybertronians, he was forged from the living metal of the planet itself, which coalesced around his living Spark, eventually forming his 'adult' robotic form based on the coding within his life essence. From there, he would learn to walk, talk, transform, and socialize, much like a human infant. He explained this to the best of his abilities to his curious new friends.

"So you're a living machine?" asked Spike. "It would explain why you act so human."

Optimus chuckled. "From what I've gathered, you humans are not very different from Cybetronians, aside from your size and organic construction."

Suddenly, Optimus assumed a more alert stance and drew his Ion Blaster. Unbeknownst to his new human friends, his long-range scanners were picking up an incoming Decepticon, and it wouldn't be long before they'd see him too. To them, though, he would resemble a common military fighter jet.


	20. A GUARDIAN IS STILL A GUARDIAN

"Optimus, what's up?" asked a concerned Andrea. "That's just a United States Air Force fighter, isn't it?"

The fighter launched a missile at Prime, who blasted it out of the sky with his Ion Blaster before turning to face his new friends. "Get to safety! Quickly!" he urgently commanded.

A voice that was familiar to Prime emanated from the jet. "Such a typical Guardian...Always seeking to protect even lesser beings."

"It is equally typical of a Decepticon to disregard innocent life," Prime retorted before firing his shoulder missiles at the attacking flyer, hitting his wings and causing him to spiral downward before transforming into his robot mode. He then proceeded to fire a Null Ray at Prime, stunning him just long enough to hit him with one of his missiles, which knocked Prime to the ground and sent him skidding into the base of the Mayan temple.

From inside the temple, Andrea used her tablet to make Cop-Tur fly around the Decepticon, hoping to distract him for long enough to allow Optimus to get back up. The jet-former responded by grabbing the small drone in his hand and crushing it with an annoyed look on his face. Just as he tossed the crushed quad-copter away, though, Prime had picked himself back up and charged at him, delivering a powerful punch to his midsection. He followed this up with another punch with the opposite fist, then a kick that sent his opponent skidding backwards into a hillside. The Decepticon retaliated with another shot of his Null Ray, which Prime side-stepped to dodge before returning fire with his Ion Rifle and hitting one of the missile pods on the enemy robot's chest and causing and explosion that broke through his armor and exposed vital circuitry. The winged mech winced and placed his forearm over the open wound before Prime could strike at it again. This did little to deter the Autobot Leader from attacking him again, using his Energon Axe to slash at the Decepticon's arm, slicing off the weapon attached to it and creating another open wound.

"It would be wise of you to retreat, Starscream," Prime warned. "I will not allow you to harm these humans."

"Such noble nonsense," Starscream sneered as he used his good arm to fire a missile at the Mayan temple, causing it to begin collapsing. Prime, knowing that his human friends had taken cover inside, dashed over to the temple and knelt down, shielding them from the falling rubble with his armored frame. "Run, my friends," he instructed. "It's no longer safe here."

The three humans nodded and ran, piling into Stan's SUV, which the elder Wittleman quickly started and drove away from the scene at top speed. Starscream ignored the humans and simply fired another missile at Prime while his back was turned, only for the Autobot leader to spin around and slice it away with his axe. With the humans out of the way, Prime no longer had a reason to hold back against the treacherous flyer, who was now beginning to panic, having already sustained heavy damage and seemingly running out of attack options. Unable to fly, the Decepticon ran off as fast as his legs could carry him, transmitting a signal to any other Decepticons who might be in the vicinity.

Now back at their campsite, the three humans breathed a sigh of relief. Optimus Prime was indeed here to protect them, but they still had one concern: That other humans might be fearful of Prime. He was an incredibly powerful 30-foot-tall robot after all. Andrea, however, had an idea. "You know how that other robot looked like a fighter jet when he first showed up?" she asked.

"Yeah," answered Stan. "I was wondering why an F-22 would attack an archaeological dig site with civilians present. Of course, real F-22s don't turn into robots. Are you thinking that Optimus could have similar form-changing abilities?"

"He has to," replied the teen, pushing her brown hair behind her ears before sliding her tablet toward the older man, who looked down at it to see an image of a Highway Express semi tractor-trailer on the screen. "Maybe there's a way he can take a form like this. It would suit him." Andrea navigated back to her web search screen and typed in '3D model semi truck,' then tapping the search icon. "Maybe Prime could scan a 3D model like this," she suggested, pulling up a 3D model of a semi truck that rotated 360 degrees.

"Good idea," commented Spike, "but how's he gonna know where to find us?"

"Maybe he has a radio receiver of some sort. This is a giant robot we're talking about. If I can lock on to his receiver's frequency, I can send him a message. This tablet is essentially an oversized cell phone, and all cell phones use radio frequencies to make and receive calls. I'm using a homebrew app to scan for his receiving frequency now. Once I get it, I can add it to my contacts like any other cell number."

Spike laughed. "Don't mess with Andrea Morales! She's got a giant robot on speed-dial!"

Prime remained near the dig site, watching the sun set after having sent Starscream running. His optics opened wide with surprise when he picked up a transmission on his internal comm. Curious, he decided to answer.

"I got through!" came the voice of Andrea in Prime's audio receptor.

"Yes, you did, Andrea. You seem to be very clever," Prime replied. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, but my friends and I have one concern. It's about you...and how the rest of our race might react. When you fought that Decepticon, I saw him change from a fighter jet into a robot just like you. He looked like one of the fighter jets our nation's military uses, so we assumed he was just one of them at first. What I'm trying to ask is...can you do something like that too? Can you take on the form of an Earth vehicle? If so, I think I have one that could be a good match. Can you find us?"

"Yes, Andrea. All Cybertronians have the ability to assume an alternate form, and our alternate forms can be adapted to suit new environments. I've locked on to your signal, and I'll see you soon," Prime replied before heading to the humans' campsite.

When he arrived, Andrea was the first to greet him, presenting him her tablet with the rotating 3D truck model still on the screen. Optimus bent down to look at is, his optics glowing brighter as his internal system scanned the model. When the scan was complete, he stepped backward before transforming into a rig identical to the model aside from the paint job. "Thank you, Andrea."

"No problem, Optimus! Now, you're a Robot in Disguise!" the girl grinned, eliciting a laugh from the Autobot leader.


	21. HEROES

All across the world, rumblings could be felt as Starscream's fellow Decepticons awakened from stasis and forced their way out of their impromptu tombs. While some emerged from unspoiled wilderness, others emerged from beneath human edifices, causing major damage as they freed themselves. Naturally, this damage was covered by the many global news agencies that existed, but none would dare mention the possibility of giant alien robots aside from those often labeled as tabloids or conspiracy theory outlets.

Back at the archaeologists' campsite, Stan took a sip of his morning coffee as he read the news on his smartphone. Most of the articles he browsed through were covering the freak 'earthquakes' that had occurred all over the world. What shocked him the most was not that the news was covering these events. That was normal. What WAS unusual is that these so-called quakes seemed to occur almost simultaneously in disparate regions. To him, this couldn't have been just some freak event. He shot up from his chair and ran out of the cabin, hoping that Optimus Prime was still there.

Fortunately, the Autobot Leader was parked a short jog from the cabin in his vehicular mode. Although he looked relaxed, he remained vigilant, knowing that Starscream could return at any time, seeking vengeance. He quickly transformed when he saw Stan running toward him.

"What's wrong, Stan?" he asked, noticing the beads of sweat dripping down the man's forehead. Stan responded by showing Prime the news article on his phone. "This kind of seismic activity isn't normal for Earth. Several quakes hit in different locations across the planet almost simultaneously. I got a feeling you might be able to make sense of it."

Optimus scanned over the article, humming in thought as he did so. "I was buried beneath the earth when you found me. It would stand to reason that I'm not the only one. Starscream could very well have awakened the other Decepticons."

"PLEASE tell me you have friends on this planet, Prime! You're just one Autobot going against who knows how many Decepticons."

"If the other Decepticons are on this planet, then my fellow Autobots must be here as well. I'll contact them and caution them against digging themselves free so aggressively." Prime activated a signal from his comm similar to the one Starscream had activated the night before.

Within less than an hour, a slow rumbling could be felt by the animal inhabitants of the thick jungle behind the Wittlemans' camp. Stan turned to face the sound of rustling trees, hoping that the approaching visitor wasn't a wild animal, or worse, a Decepticon.

Eventually, the visitor made its way through the thick plant life and revealed himself to Stan and Optimus. "Aww, mah achin' processor!" he grumbled, rubbing his helm. "What kinda planet did I land on?"

"This is Earth, Ironhide," Prime responded, regarding his awakened comrade warmly. He pointed to Stan. "This is Stan Wittleman, a native of this planet."

"So...I'm guessing this Ironhide guy is friendly," remarked Stan, still a little shaken up by the prospect of more than one Decepticon running loose on his planet.

"Don't worry, Stan," the rugged Security Chief replied. "I ain't gonna step on ya. Prime and I go way back." The rough-and-tumble red Autobot looked around again, this time taking notice of Stan's silvery-gray Chevrolet Trailblazer, which was parked behind the cabin. "Hmm...That looks like a good fit," he commented before scanning the vehicle and transforming into one that was identical, aside from the red paint job.

Stan chuckled. "That really does suit you, Ironhide, but where did you pick up that Texas drawl?"

Ironhide reverted to his robotic mode and scratched his head. "Texas? I'm from Tiger Pax. 'Lotta bots there talk like I do. Maybe my accent just sounds like the one from yer Texas. Where on this planet are you from?"

Stan smiled. "I'm from Ohio, in the mid-western United States. My friends and I are here on an archaeological dig through the ruins of our distant ancestors. We're basically trying to learn as much as we can about our planet's history."

"I reckon y'all don't have a rusty ol' bot keepin' record of yer world's history like we do," Ironhide commented, referring to Alpha Trion back on Cybertron.

Stan laughed. "We don't. Sapient life on this planet's only around 200,000 of our years old. You guys have apparently been around for over four million."

Before he could continue, he received a notification on his phone, causing it to produce a small 'ding.' He looked at his device to see that the notification came from his favorite news app. He tapped on it, then swiped his phone's screen to unlock it and read the article. "There's been an attack on Cullen Air Force Base in Oklahoma," explained the elder Wittleman. "The official report is that terrorists hijacked an F-22. Why do I get the feeling that's not the case?"

While Prime, Ironhide, and Stan talked, the reported attack on Cullen Air Force Base raged on. The soldiers found themselves running out of options for dealing with the invading craft, which seemed to be immune to weapons that would normally bring down similar jets. "OK...there is NO way ANY terrorist group or rogue nation has metal like that," a flustered soldier commented as he fired on the jet. His eyes widened when an unusually-colored Bell 206 ascended and began firing on the attacker. Unlike the soldiers, this chopper actually managed to do some damage to the mysterious fighter, who turned around to face the new arrival before transforming into a robot the jet fighter would immediately recognize. "Clear out, men!" instructed a voice from within the helicopter. "This isn't a normal craft! I'll deal with it!"

The commanding officer in charge of the base saluted. "Thanks for your help, soldier...whoever you are." He then turned to his subordinates. "Fall back and get to cover!"

The other soldiers gave a resounding "Yes, sir!" before retreating back into the main bunker, from which they could watch the unfolding battle safely.

Back outside, the lime green Bell 206 transformed into a robot, with its main rotor becoming a sword for the impressive machine to wield. The robot then leapt into the air, energized his sword, and brought the cracking blade down on the enemy bot's left wing. "Alright, Starscream! Before I clip your other wing, why don't you tell me what you're doing here?"

"I'm simply covering my tracks, Autobot," Starscream replied before firing a missile, which the green-hued swordsman blocked with his blade before finding himself painfully seizing up from a Null Ray blast. "That means eliminating you along with this pathetic fleshling establishment!" the Decepticon added before firing a missile at the Autobot's midsection, sending him backwards into a lamppost with such force that it broke from the impact, sending its top half crashing down on him just as the effect of the Null Ray wore off. Now able to move again, he pushed the fallen light off of him and charged at Starscream, delivering a pair of punches to the Decepticon's chest before lifting him up and throwing him into a nearby forest. "You can thank me later," the green warrior smirked. "I know how much you love to fly away from a fight, especially when you know you're gonna lose."

Starscream hit the ground hard, sending frightened forest animals running in every direction while he struggled to pull himself back up. With a frustrated growl, he simply fired a plasma burst from his arm cannon, igniting the trees before transforming to jet mode and rising shakily into the air.

"Great...I'm not built for putting out fires," groaned the green Autobot. "Where's Inferno when you need him?"

"I hate to disappoint you, but I doubt your Autobot friend is even on this pathetic little mud-ball," Starscream responded before dropping a Cluster Bomb on the base, damaging or leveling several bunkers and armaments. One bomb struck the Autobot, creating a large dent in his armor and sending him flying backwards into the main bunker to which the human soldiers had retreated. The Autobot sighed as he pulled himself back up, looking behind him to make sure he didn't hurt any humans before letting out a sigh. "I think I may have gotten in over my helm here." He got up and picked his rotor/sword up, re-energizing it and charging at Starscream before slashing at his chest with all his might, fueled by his righteous fury over the destruction the Decepticon had caused. "Doesn't mean I'm gonna give up!" He slashed again, slicing off Starscream's other wing. He was now so wrapped up in fighting the weaselly Decepticon that he didn't see the raging forest fire being snuffed out behind him until the firetruck responsible for the act of heroism had reached the base, continuing to put out the fires Starscream started. The heroic vehicle then transformed and smiled at his fellow Autobot. "You were wishing I was here, weren't you, Springer?" the robot asked jovially. "Well, here I am."

Springer turned to face his fellow Autobot with a smile. "You came just in time, Inferno. Now, what do you say we send this piece of Decepi-crud packing?"

"I'd like nothing better," Inferno replied before drawing his own weapon and firing on Starscream, who began to panic at the realization that he was now outnumbered and unable to fly. "You might wanna bolt, now, Starscream. I understand you don't like being outnumbered with your wings clipped," the red Autobot taunted.

Starscream looked around rapidly before heeding the Autobot's advice. "Don't think that this is over, Autobots!" he shouted as he ran off. "I will be avenged!"

Still watching from inside the bunker, one of the soldiers glanced at his commanding officer. "What exactly are those things, Commander Scott?"

Commander Scott smiled. "I don't know, but whatever they are, they're heroes."

As the soldiers continued to discuss the nature of the Autobots and speculate on where they may have come from, Springer and Inferno proceeded to repair the collateral damage done in the fight with Starscream, with the latter sending a message to Prime that they'd be a little slow to meet him and Ironhide at the Wittlemans' camp.


	22. REUNION

While Springer and Inferno worked to repair the damage done by the Decepticons at Cullen Air Force Base, Optimus Prime and Ironhide simply bonded with their new human companions, learning a bit about Earth culture while teaching them about their own.

"So...How many of you guys got sucked into that Space Bridge portal?" Stan asked.

"I know of at least two other Autobots who should be arriving soon," Prime replied. "There are no doubt many others scattered across this planet. I can only hope that they'll make it here safely as well."

"What about the Decepticons?" asked Spike, worried that more of the enemy Cybertronians would show up to cause trouble.

"I have no doubt that Starscream is attempting to gather his forces together as we speak. He is only serving as an interim commander for the Decepticons though. Their true leader, Megatron, is still on Cybertron."

"Why do I get the feeling he won't stay there?" asked a worried Stan as he scanned over a news article on his phone.

"He seeks the Heart of Cybertron, which is no doubt hidden somewhere on this planet," the Autobot leader responded. "He will not simply leave Starscream here to claim the relic for himself. Cowardly as he may be, Starscream is also ambitious and opportunistic. Once he has gathered his forces, he will no doubt begin his search for the Heart. We must do likewise."

"Maybe we could help somehow," offered Andrea. "News travels fast here on Earth thanks to the Internet. If someone here dug that Heart of Cybertron up, there's probably a scientific establishment somewhere that's studying it."

Prime hummed in thought with a hand on his chin until he was interrupted by the faint sound of a siren and helicopter blades approaching the Wittleman camp.

"What's up, Optimus?" asked the tech-savvy archaeologist. "Is something coming?"

"Yes, Andrea. I'm detecting two incoming vehicles. Hopefully, they are the same Autobots who contacted me earlier."

Stan set his phone down and turned to face the direction from which the sound was coming, now being able to hear it himself. Before long, a fire engine and a green Bell 206 arrived, the former parking and the latter landing before opening their doors to allow two uniformed soldiers to step out.

One of the soldiers, a seasoned-looking older man with a thick gray mustach and squinting blue eyes, saluted Prime and Ironhide before speaking. "Are you these guys' supreme commander?" he asked.

"Yes. My name is Optimus Prime. I am the leader of the Autobots of Cybertron. What is your name, if I may ask?"

"I'm Commander Allen Scott of Cullen Air Force Base. Lieutenant Morales and I wanted to personally thank you for bringing these fine soldiers with you. Not only did they thwart an attack on the base, but they also repaired the damage to the best of their ability."

"They even put out a forest fire that attacking robot started," added Morales before smiling when he caught sight of Andrea, who squealed when she saw him.

"Daddy!" the younger Morales cried before running up and hugging the Air Force Lieutenant tightly as Inferno and Springer transformed behind them.

"Uhh...What's that all about?" asked the green Autobot with his head tilted to one side.

"Ehh...Just human customs, Springer," replied Inferno. "I'm still trying to wrap my processor around it myself."

"You'd probably react like that if Firestar showed up here, wouldn't you?" Springer smiled, referring to a femme back on Cybertron with which Inferno was known to share a strong bond. This caused the red-clad Autobot's cheeks to redden slightly before he playfully elbowed his companion.

"Wait...There are girl Autobots?" asked a surprised Andrea.

"Yes," Prime answered. "They are the descendents of the great artificer, Solus Prime. Legend states that, under the right circumstances, they possess the ability to forge a new Cybertronian from their own living metal."

Andrea blushed. "That's...uhh...kinda what females of our race do. Tney make the babies, but they need a man to get the whole process started."

Stan chuckled. "Honestly, Andrea, I wouldn't mind you going through the 'process' with my boy, but you two better get married first."

"This 'marriage' seems similar to the Rite of Conjunx Endura on our homeworld, where a mech and a femme initiate a life-bond." Optimus sighed, remembering his time with Elita One before she was made Guardian of the Heart of Cybertron. They had both considered going through the Rite themselves, but it seemed as though fate had other plans.

"Did you have a girlfriend, Optimus?" asked Andrea, noticing the hints of sadness in Prime's voice.

"Yes. Her name was Elita One. We were nearly ready to form a life-bond, but Alpha Trion called her away to be the Guardian of the Heart of Cybertron. We would've been forever separated if not for me becoming the Prime. We eventually reunited, but not under the most ideal of circumstances."

"Lemme guess. Megatron came after the Heart of Cybertron, and the two of you reunited in the heat of battle."

"That is correct, Andrea. I would've preferred an air of peace, but Megatron's lust for power would not allow for such peace."

"I hope you get to see her again. I'm in a bit of a long-distance relationship myself with a guy named Chip Chang. He's a roboticist working with the Air Force on some sort of next-generation autonomous drone fighter."

"I get the feeling we're gonna need Project Skybolt up and running sooner rather than later," commented Commander Scott. "More to the point, though, I also came to offer you bots a place to lay low. There's a bomb shelter on the grounds of Cullen AFB that's been abandoned since the 1960s."

"WIth all due respect, Commander Scott, won't any technology down there be too primitive to be of use to us?" asked a concerned Springer.

"I could help update it to 2019 standards," offered Andrea. "Though that might still be primitive by your standards. Do you guys have any engineers from your planet here?"

"If Wheeljack and Perceptor are still online, then we do," answered Prime. "They accompanied us in the battle that brought us to this world. I can only hope they received the transmission I sent after defeating Starscream."

"Starscream?" repeated Lieutenant Morales. "Is that the name of that jet-bot that attacked our base?"

"Yep," Inferno replied. "Hopefully, he's still trying to pound out all the dents Springer and I left in him."

While they talked, the humans and Autobots failed to notice a cat-like drone lurking in the brush behind the cabin. This drone was Ravage, who had been listening in on their conversation long enough to learn about the Autobots' potential base location.

Starscream, who had taken refuge in an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia, stroked his chin as he listened to the Autobots' conversation, which was being relayed through Soundwave.

"So Prime hopes that my forces are still scattered across the planet. What a pity that I'm about to dash such hopes," Starscream spoke out loud to the now-assembled Decepticon army. "Fortunately for us, his forces still are. Only four Autobots have assembled thus far. It shouldn't be too difficult to terminate them before they can regroup with their peers."

"Yes, since you could so easily deal with them on your own, Starscream," snarked a greenish-yellow and black femme whose right hand had been replaced with a multi-purpose medical tool. "You're fortunate I came to your rescue. I could've easily left you to rust, you know."

Starscream glared at the sarcastic medi-bot and aimed his arm cannon at her. "Do so, and I will have your head mounted above my throne, Pharma! It'll serve as an excellent example of what will happen to anyone who dares to cross me!"

Pharma wasn't the least bit intimidated by Starscream's threat. She, and the others, were only following his lead begrudgingly due to Megatron's absence. She simply crossed her arms over her chest as Starscream continued to blather on.

"By now, Optimus Prime and the others must be en route to this...bomb shelter in Oklahoma. Fortunately, Ravage is still following them." He turned to Soundwave. "Soundwave, pinpoint the Autobots' location."

The Deployer activated a screen in his visor, desplaying four blue blips traveling north along an orange line. "Autobots traveling southwest from Yucatan region." He displayed a map of Mexico, with the Autobots traveling along a network of roads that would eventually lead to the southern border of the United States. "Your pet is an excellent tracker, Soundwave. With his help, you will lead us to the Autobots. Hopefully, that isn't too far beyond your meager capabilities."

"What about you, Starscream?" asked Tankor. "You're s'posed to be the leader now, right?"

"Yes. Soundwave is simply acting as our guide, Tankor. I will still be the one who gives the commands. I'm sure you're content with that. After all, you'll be afforded the opportunity to smash a few servos."

"Fine by me. I got a score to settle with Optimus Prime and that other bot."

Fracture cackled madly, thrilled at the prospect of going into battle and wrecking some Autobots herself. The prospect of causing a bit of collateral damage along the way only made her happier.

"Curb your enthusiasm, Fracture. We don't want to alert the Autobots to our presence too soon. That means you'll have to drive a bit less recklessly. Don't be too disappointed though. You can have plenty of fun with the Autobots once we've intercepted them."

Fracture sighed before transforming. "Very well, Starscream." The other Decepticons followed suit, with the ground-based bots forming a line behind Soundwave and the flyers hovering above them.

"Now, Decepticons...MOVE OUT!" ordered the red and gray Seeker before taking his position above Soundwave, who followed Ravage's Autobot tracking data.


	23. ROAD TRIP

The first four hours into the human/Autobot road trip had been uneventful. No one seemed to notice that Ravage was still tailing them from the thick roadside vegetation. Both Earthlings and Cybertronians were busy socializing; growing closer as friends and learning more about each other's cultures. With the threat of Decepticons appearing non-existent for the time being, the humans, particularly Andrea, were teaching their Autobot friends how to make use of Earth technologies like the Bluetooth sound systems in their vehicle modes and the Global Positioning System, which would allow them to more easily navigate Earth's roads.

"What the frag is that noise, Spike?" asked an annoyed Ironhide when the younger Wittleman used his Bluetooth sound system to stream Masta Renegade's latest album. "Ya sure this is what yer race calls 'music?'"

"Tsch! You sound like my dad, Ironhide!" scoffed Spike. "It's music to me...and about 1.5 million other humans."

"Don't ya have anything else?"

"Hmm...Knuckledustaz...Big Pun...2Pac..." Spike replied as he scrolled through his phone's music library.

"Any Hunnid P?" Andrea interjected.

"Umm...No! Those Knuckles raps are cheesy and you know it!" Spike fired back.

"Maybe, but Ironhide might like them better...or maybe he'd like something a bit more mellow, like the Secret of Mana OST."

Before she could pair her phone with the sound system and turn on her music, Andrea, along with Spike and Ironhide, were shocked by a missile strike that seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Scrap...Looks like Starscream got the band back together," groaned Ironhide as he swerved to the right to avoid another missile.

"Great! You probably can't transform with us on board, can you?"

"I wouldn't risk it, Spike. Hang on! I'm gonna have to keep this defensive drivin' up 'til I can find a place to drop ya off."

"Go ahead, Ironhide," came Springer's voice over the SUV-bot's comm. "I'll keep this punk busy. Thankfully, I'm not carrying passengers right now."

The green Bell 206 flew above the attacking Decepticon and transformed, landing on top of his jet mode and delivering a powerful punch to his cockpit. The damage from the punch, as well as the additional weight of the Autobot warrior, caused the sneaky Decepticon to struggle to maintain stable flight. He began to veer away from the road as he began to lose altitude, eventually crashing into the thick brush on the side of the road as Springer jumped off.

Before long, the green warrior heard a familiar cackle approaching the ground-based Autobots at over a hundred miles an hour. He drew his sword and grimaced, getting into a battle-ready stance before a missile knocked him off his feet and into a road sign pole.

"You lot're goin' nowhere!" growled Tankor as he transformed and launched his shoulder missiles at Prime, Ironhide, and Inferno. "We've been given the honor of sendin' you to the scrapyard!"

Springer got back up, wincing a little from the pain of his injuries before firing his plasma pistol at the Decepticon brute, who simply shrugged it off before charging at the Autobot and tackling him to the ground, snapping the sign post behind him and bringing the sign it supported down on Ironhide's hood, smashing his windshield and causing his human passengers to duck in terror.

Seeing this, Optimus Prime came to a sudden stop and opened his cab doors. "Commander Scott! Lieutenant Morales! Get out. I'm going to engage."

The two soldiers jumped out and ran for cover as Optimus transformed to robot mode and fired on Tankor with his Ion Rifle, taking care not to hit Springer in the process.

"Thanks for the assist, Prime," smiled Springer as he took advantage of Tankor's distraction and kicked the brawler off of him before slashing at his left shoulder with his sword. Tankor responded by firing another missile from his right shoulder launcher into Springer's midsection, sending the Autobot flying backwards into a ditch and forcing his sword out of his hand.

Ironhide growled with anger as he watched his fellow Autobot being overwhelmed by the brutish Decepticon. He opened all four of his vehicle doors and ordered Spike and Andrea to get out and run so he could transform and join the fight. Inferno soon did likewise, allowing Stan to get out of his vehicular mode so he could also transform. Stan quickly grabbed Spike and Andrea by the hands and ran in the direction of the nearest roadside restaurant, almost bumping into Scott and Morales as they burst into the door.

While the humans took shelter inside the little roadside cafe, the battle outside intensified. Optimus Prime effortlessly lifted Tankor over his head and threw him down on his back before pressing his foot down on the warrior's chest. Before the Autobot Leader could make another move, though, he found his systems being overloaded by a high-voltage electrical beam being fired from what appeared to be a blue and white A-10 Thunderbird.

Starscream hovered overhead, smirking inwardly as he watched his fellow Decepticons gang up on Prime and the other Autobots. "How appropriate," he said to himself, "that Optimus Prime and the Autobots shall fall under my command!"

"Yeah, Starscream," Ironhide replied angrily as he aimed at the Decepticons' interim commander, "cause ya clearly ain't got the ball bearin's to soil yer own servos!" The burly red Autobot pulled out his blaster and fired on Starscream's wing, causing him to begin losing altitude. He then proceeded to jump on top of Starscream's jet mode and punch through his cockpit before firing another shot into the newly-created dent. After holstering his weapon, he grasped onto the Decepticon's wings as he crashed into Fracture.

Inferno, meanwhile, deployed a launcher from the end of his fire engine ladder, which rested on his right shoulder in robot mode. He scowled, taking aim at the A10-based Decepticon and firing a heat-seeking missile.

Sensing the incoming projectile, the blue Decepticon attempted to take evasive action, only for the missile to follow his every move until making contact and causing him to crash into the ocean. "That'll put out your fire for a while, Thundercracker," the Autobot fire engine smirked as he watched Optimus pull himself back up. "Good shooting, Inferno," he praised.

"I couldn't let you get fried, Boss-bot. I had to do something."

Optimus laughed. "You're a true friend."

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake violently, causing both Autobots to struggle to remain upright. Over time, the tremors intensified, eventually splitting the road beneath the Autobots asunder and sending them tumbling into a newly-formed crevasse. Starscream smirked as he watched his enemies fall, his face only growing more content when he spotted the diminutive drone who had caused the quake. "Now how did that old saying go? Oh yes...'United we stand, and divided they fall'"

Tankor readied all his available missiles to fire on the Autobots as they tried to pull themselves back up over the edge. "Whaddya say we finish the job?" the brawler asked rhetorically before firing.

"Very good, Tankor. Now, let us track down my prize. Decepticons, PULL OUT!"

"Activating Ground Bridge," droned Soundwave before producing an odd portal from his shoulder cannon, which the Decepticons entered before it disappeared.

With the Decepticons gone, the five humans came out of the small diner to check on their Autobot friends, only to find a small mound of rubble where the road once stood.

"I hope those bots are alive," commented Commander Scott as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Until Project Skybolt is online and perfected, they're our planet's only line of defense."

While Allen spoke, Andrea had dialed into Prime's comm with her cell phone and was waiting for an answer. "Optimus Prime," she spoke into her phone's mic, "are you alive? Please be alive."

She heard nothing but a faint groan, causing tears to well up in her eyes. "You have to dig yourself out! You have to dig all the Autobots out!"

"Too...weak," Prime strained out. "Will...contact...allies. Don't...worry."


	24. REINFORCEMENTS

While Prime, Springer, Inferno, and Ironhide lay buried beneath the rubble of what once was a coastal road in Mexico, another four Autobots had dug their way out from under an abandoned automotive plant in Detroit, Michigan. Jazz, who had performed much of the digging with his built-in jackhammers, tossed away a broken beer bottle as he looked around to study his new surroundings. "What kinda dump is this?" he asked out loud.

"It appears to be an extremely antiquated assembly facility," answered Perceptor, who curiously examined another discarded beer bottle.

"Antiquated is right, man. Even the lowest-tech drone on Cybertron packs tech more advanced than this."

"Dated or not, maybe we can make use of this somehow," commented Wheeljack as he studied the cobweb-covered robotic arms that lined the factory's assembly lines.

"Yeah, I suppose we could beat a few dents in some 'Cons with those things. Don't know what else you could do with 'em."

"It would take extensive work, along with numerous external resources, but it may be possible to use the materials here to construct a rather crude Ground Bridge," explained the Autobot scientist.

"We could use it," spoke Ratchet. "I'm picking up a faint Autobot distress signal. If I'm not mistaken, it's coming from Optimus Prime. He, along with any other Autobots that found their way to him, may need medical attention."

"Then let's get to work," Wheeljack said with a smile as he and the others began dismantling the plant's equipment, applying extensive modifications, and rebuilding it into a serviceable Ground Bridge. The work took several hours, and each Autobot wiped away imaginary sweat from his optic ridges once the job was done.

"Considering how quickly we had to put this thing together," began Wheeljack, "and the materials we had to do it with, I figure this bridge will only be good for one trip, so we better get a good fix on Prime's location before we fire it up."

"I can get an approximate fix by tracing the transmission," announced Ratchet. "That should be good enough...I hope."

"Well, punch in the coordinates so we can roll, Doc-bot."

"Not so fast, Jazz. We're on an alien world with primitive life forms that may not welcome us. We should scan new alternate forms to blend in better."

The jackhammer-wielding Autobot made his way to one of the factory's loading docks and effortlessly pulled up the door to get a look outside. He smiled when he spotted a nearby overpass that was abuzz with traffic. "Check it out, bots!" he called out, motioning to the others to join him. "Whatever species dominates this planet at least built some decent machines for alt modes."

Ratchet hummed as he watched the passing vehicles. Nothing suited him until an ambulance came into view, rushing to the site of a medical emergency. "Hmm...Adequate," he said as he scanned the emergency vehicle, hoping that his scanning beam wouldn't frighten the driver.

Perceptor was next, having spotted a van with the words 'Erhard Laboratories' painted on the side. From what he could gather, this vehicle was perhaps used as a sort of mobile research center. It was perfect for a bot of science like himself. He scanned it.

Jazz came third, having been drawn to a rather high-end sports car by the music being played loudly over its sound system. "Whoever operates a sweet ride like that has pretty kickin' tastes. I think I found my match," Jazz commented as he scanned the vehicle.

As the traffic died down on the overpass, the loud roar of supercharged engines could be heard as several more cars sped through a tunnel underneath it. Not only were the drivers of these cars going much faster than the ones on the overpass, they were also driving rather aggressively. It looked to Wheeljack like the unsanctioned underground races that would be run all over Cybertron. He decided not to concern himself with stopping this race, though. Prime needed his, and the others', help. He needed a vehicle mode, and it didn't take him long to settle upon what could pass for a stock car. He scanned it, then returned to the makeshift Ground Bridge terminal, followed by the other three.

Ratchet quickly punched in the coordinates for the source of Prime's transmission before slapping his forehead in realization. "We're going to need Energon to get this Bridge running, and I doubt we'll find any on an organic planet like this."

"I will sacrifice my own Energon to activate the Bridge," offered Perceptor

"You'd put yourself offline , Perceptor!" protested Jazz.

"Perhaps, but we must reach Optimus Prime and the others before THEY go offline. In our current situation, I am the most expendable. I am not sufficiently equipped for combat. Proceed with the siphon procedure, Ratchet."

Ratchet sighed as he attached one end of the siphon hose he carried to Perceptor and the other to the terminal. He then threw the switch to begin the process, shaking his head as the Ground Bridge portal opened and the brilliant scientist's vitals faded.

"Alright, Autobots! Let's roll!" commanded Jazz as he transformed into his sports car mode. Ratchet and Wheeljack soon followed suit. All three Autobots then proceeded to drive through the portal at top speed just seconds before it closed.

Back at the roadside cafe, the five humans had decided to get some dinner while waiting for someone to come and dig Prime and the Autobots out. None of them could help but worry about their new friends and the fate of their world should they die.

Andrea, having finished her meal, took to reading some of her favorite tech blogs on her phone while awaiting a text message from Chip, who was no doubt busy with Project Skybolt. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, followed by the sounds of three automotive engines and an ambulance siren. She excitedly rushed to the window to see the new arrivals, one of which transformed into a robot, deployed a pair of jackhammers, and began digging through the rubble. "Guys! They made it!" she announced, causing the other four humans to join her in looking out the window.

Jazz, Ratchet, and Wheeljack continued to dig for two more hours before uncovering their damaged comrades. Ratchet shook his head after checking their vitals. "They lost a lot of Energon," he stated with a sigh. "I better work fast." He started with Optimus, using his built-in medical tools to patch up his open wounds and repair any internal damage his leader sustained. When he was finished, Prime pulled himself into a sitting position and gave the medic a warm gaze. "Thank you, Ratchet."

"I did the best I could, Prime, but unless we somehow stumble across Energon on this planet, I don't know how much longer you guys...or Perceptor...will last."

"Maybe we could somehow convert this planet's native energy sources into Energon," suggested Wheeljack. "It's gotta be possible," he whispered to himself. "For Perceptor's sake, I gotta figure it out."

"What happened to Perceptor," asked Prime.

"He sacrificed his own Energon to power a temporary Ground Bridge," Ratchet replied.

"Thankfully, it would seem that his sacrifice was not in vain, but we cannot simply allow him to remain in emergency stasis. We must discover a way to fuel ourselves while we remain on this planet, both for our own sake, and for the sake of its populace."

"A race with technology as primitive as what we've seen would be easy prey for the Decepticons," Ratchet said bluntly.

"Primitive as their technology may be, the natives of this planet are still worthy of our protection so long as the Decepticons threaten them. One should not judge a race on its level of technological development alone. I have already befriended five of them, and I believe they will prove to be valuable allies."

"Boss-bot's got a way with words, doesn't he?" smiled Jazz.


	25. MEGATRON RETURNS

Back on Cybertron, Megatron's reign had been thoroughly cemented, and any resistance cells that sprang up were very quickly decimated, either by the Decepticon Leader himself, or by one of his many loyal enforcers. He sat upon his throne in the former Citadel of the Primes, smiling contentedly as he watched an Omega Sentinel raze an entire city-state that had served as a resistance base. Still, a bit of anxiety surfaced. As far as he knew, the Heart of Cybertron was still lost to him, but not to the Autobots. Even more worrying to the Decepticon leader was the prospect of Starscream gaining possession of the Heart for himself and re-establishing his position as Leader of the Decepticons and dethroning him as the ruler of Cybertron.

Suddenly, the feed of the Omega Sentinels' assault on the rebel hideout was interrupted by an incoming transmission from Shockwave.

"Lord Megatron," the Chief Scientific Officer began, "the probes have located the Heart of Cybertron. It is on an organic planet in the Sol System. I have programmed the coordinates into a next-generation Omega Sentinel that will serve as both your warship and your bodyguard."

"At long last, I will be able to claim my destiny and finally rid the universe of the last of the Primes," the tyrant said out loud.

"Yes...indeed...Nemesis will arrive in Iacon within the mega-cycle."

"Excellent. As soon as I've departed, activate Megaplex."

"Understood," Shockwave replied before closing the comm channel. Megatron leaned back, clasping his hands together in anticipation. "It won't be long now," he said to himself. "It will be a great relief to stain the soils of an alien world with the Energon of the Prime."

"Master Megatron, what are our instructions?" asked Ransack, who stood dutifully at his commander's left side.

"You and Soundblaster will accompany me aboard Nemesis. I want to see the looks on the faces of those whom your past selves considered friends."

Neither drone responded, having no apparent memory of his past life. They simply waited patiently for the Nemesis to land in front of the Citadel.

Before the mega-cycle ended, the Nemesis arrived, just as Shockwave promised. The ship was a good deal larger than the previous Sentinels in their alternate modes. It was painted in an intimidating black and charcoal color scheme with purple highlights. "Nemesis online," announced the booming voice of the ship's AI before deploying a boarding ramp for its would-be passengers. Megatron grinned as he rose from his throne, exited the Citadel, and climbed the ramp with Soundblaster and Ransack following behind. As soon as all three Decepticons had boarded, Nemesis withdrew the boarding ramp and sealed its hatches while its small crew made its way to the bridge.

"Now, Nemesis...Let us pay a little visit to the mudball where the Heart of Cybertron rests. I trust that you have the coordinates, along with sufficient Energon for a Transwarp jump."

"Affirmative," the ship replied. "Launch sequence initiated. Transwarp Drive will engage once Cybertron gravity field has been cleared."

On Earth, Ratchet worked through the night, finishing up the repairs on his fellow Autobots while the five humans, with the blessing of the owner, slept on the cafe's couches. As soon as his work was done, the medic breathed a sigh of relief before speaking. "I did the best I could do."

Springer dusted himself off as he stood up, regarding Ratchet with a smile. "Hey, it's not like I could expect high-quality care on some uncharted alien world," he snarked. "Still, it's good to know I can fly again."

"The question still remains whether or not we'll be able to refuel ourselves here...and whether or not we can do the same for Perceptor," commented Prime.

"I'm still thinkin' about that, Prime. I'd need a sample of Earth fuel to really get anywhere though."

By the time the Autobots were all patched up, their human friends had also awakened and come out to meet them. "So...you guys can't run on normal gas, huh?" asked Stan.

"Not unless I can figure out how to convert this 'gas' into Energon. For that, I'd need a sample," Wheeljack explained.

"I'm sure I could set you up with some. Nobody would think anything of a few cars at a gas station appearing to fuel up. By the way, I'm Stan Wittleman. I'm a friend of your leader. What's your name?"

"I'm Wheeljack, chief engineer," the white, red, and green bot replied.

Jazz knelt down to make eye contact with Spike, having been drawn to the logo on his t-shirt. "So...you're the dominant species of this planet huh?"

Spike nodded before noticing the warrior's fascination with his shirt. "You must wanna know what the symbol on my shirt means. It's Masta Renegade's logo."

"I think I saw the same marking on the vehicle I scanned. There were some pretty sweet sound patterns comin' from its speakers."

"Sounds like the car you scanned was his. Seems like you've got some great taste, uhh..."

"Name's Jazz. What's yours?"

"Spike Wittleman. Nice to meet you."

"These are our allies among the natives of this planet," Prime began. "They have already proven themselves invaluable to our cause."

"How in the Allspark is that?" asked an incredulous Ratchet.

"For starters, they know more about this planet than we do. It would be wise to heed whatever advice they may give."

"Yeah, their tech's a bit backwards, but they still seem cool to me, Doc-bot."

"I wouldn't expect a bunch of shape-shifting alien robots to be too impressed by human technology," Commander Scott stated plainly. "These guys seem hardly act like robots, and they seem a lot smarter than my phone's virtual assistant."

"That's because they're basically living technology," explained Andrea. "They're millions of years old, while modern humans have only existed for about ten thousand of our years."

Suddenly, Stan's attention was diverted to the sound of a notification on his smartphone, which he pulled out of his pocket to check. "Hmm...Massive UFO sighted in Siberia," he read out loud before tapping on the headline to pull up the whole article, which he carefully read to himself.

"UFO? Siberia?" asked Prime with a quizzical head tilt.

"Yeah. Unidentified flying object, Prime. Witnesses say it was at least the size of the Kremlin, and it appeared suddenly in a flash of light. I'm wondering if it's Cybertronian."

"If it's a ship, it must be equipped with a built-in Transwarp Drive, which would allow it to create a self-contained Space Bridge on the fly. I designed the prototype before all the chaos on our home planet started. I never got a chance to field-test it though. Only bots besides me who would know how to build one are Perceptor...and Scooter..." Wheeljack hung his head at the thought of the young hacker. He had long ago come to the conclusion that Scooter had been captured, and likely killed, by Shockwave.

"This Scooter...Did something bad happen to him?" asked Andrea, having sensed the engineer's growing sadness.

"He managed to infiltrate a Decepticon lab back on Cybertron and foul up their prototype ultimate weapon, the Omega Sentinel. His handiwork caused the Sentinel to turn on the 'Cons, but he was found out...and he never came back."

"He wouldn't have willingly given the Decepticons top-secret tech specs, would he, Wheeljack?" the human techie inquired further.

"He wouldn't have needed to," Wheeljack replied. "Shockwave, the 'Cons' chief scientist, would've found some twisted way of extracting the information from his processor. I doubt it would've been a pleasant experience."

Over in Siberia, the Nemesis landed just 15 miles away from the Turgenova Research Center, where Russia's top scientists were studying a strange green crystal that had recently been unearthed while drilling for oil. The head scientist, Linka Medvedev, was quietly typing up a report detailing what she and her team had discovered thus far about the crystal. So absorbed was she in her work that she didn't pay much attention to the panicked reports from the lab's security staff about the UFO or the menacing gray robotic creature that emerged from it. She figured the intruder was just another wolf or polar bear until the imposing gray robot blasted his way into her lab. Linka's face turned white as a sheet when she turned to face the fearsome intruder, who effortlessly smashed through the glass case protecting the green crystal before grabbing the specimen with a mix of satisfaction and confusion written on his face. His expression soon turned to disgust when he caught sight of the frightened scientist. "Vermin," he growled before charging up his Fusion Cannon. Linka shrieked before running for the door as fast as her legs could carry her, only to find herself staring down the barrel of the robot's powerful weapon once again as she swiped her key-card to open it. Before she could leave, though, the robot fired, melting the vaulted door down and reducing Linka to a pile of black ash.

After having done away with the unfortunate human, the fearsome robot, Megatron, turned his attention back to the green crystal he clutched in his hand. "It appears that the Heart of Cybertron was...fragmented upon entering this planet's atmosphere," he observed verbally. "This is only a fraction of the raw might of Primus. Still, it will suit my needs for the time being," he chuckled as he inserted the crystal into his chest, laughing as he felt its power begin to surge through his circuitry. "Yes, Primus...Give me your power!" he shouted as he fired at Dr. Medvedev's equipment, causing a massive explosion that reduced the entire compound to rubble. "Yes," he gloated as he waded through the remains of what was once Russia's top scientific research facility, "The Era of the Primes will end very soon."


	26. ASSERTION OF COMMAND

ASSERTION OF COMMAND

Megatron looked back briefly at the pile of rubble that once the Turgenova Research Center, smiling as if he were gazing upon a work of art. "Optimus Prime, you too will be reduced to nothingness, just like this antiquated facility." He turned back toward the Nemesis, rubbing his palms together in anticipation for his next encounter with the Autobot leader.

Sensing its master's presence, the second-generation Omega Sentinel deployed its boarding ramp, which Megatron climbed with a confident stride. "Master Megatron: Power output increased by 135%" observed Ransack as the Decepticon Leader took his seat at the bridge. "I know," Megatron replied, giving the drone an annoyed glare.

"What is your command?" Ransack asked, unfazed by his master's aggravation.

"Have the scanners detected other Decepticon signatures?"

"Affirmative," Ransack replied. "Seven signatures detected."

"Starscream must be among them."

"Unable to confirm. Signatures outside identification range."

"Then you know what to do, Ransack."

"Commencing interface," the moped-based drone announced as he plugged himself into the Nemesis' computer system, enhancing the ship's sensors by combining them with his own. "Query: Why do you seek Starscream?"

"He must learn his place in the chain of command. Surely he believes himself leader of the Decepticon forces on this planet, and he is no doubt searching for the rest of the Heart of Cybertron."

"What is Starscream's place in chain of command?"

Megatron growled before lifting the smaller robot up by the neck. "Beneath me...as an expendable minion...much like yourself. Are there any further questions, Ransack?"

"Negative," the drone replied, his monotone showing subtle hints of fear.

"Very well then...Report!" Megatron barked as he released Ransack from his iron grip.

"Decepticon units identified: Thundercracker, Tankor, Fracture, Pharma, Skywarp, Soundwave, Starscream."

"Excellent. Set course for their location and initiate Transwarp jump."

"Insufficient Energon," Ransack reported, reflexively backing away from Megatron as he spoke.

"Very well then. Activate cloaking device and take this ship there. We haven't time to be bothered with this planet's natives and their primitive weapons."

"Understood," the still-interfaced navigator replied with a salute before activating the cloaking device and taking off and heading for the Astro-Scope Observatory in Arizona, home to the most advanced tracking equipment on Earth, where Starscream and the Decepticons had overwhelmed and decimated the security forces to gain access to said equipment.

Starscream turned to Soundwave. "Dispatch Rumble to enter the building and access the control computers. Even a simple drone like you should be able to bypass any security measures these fleshbags may have implemented."

"As you command, Starscream," the Deployer replied before launching his humanoid drone, who silently entered the building and plugged into the computer, easily breaking through the firewalls and gaining access to the control system for the satellite network. "Access achieved," Soundwave announced.

"Very good," smiled Starscream. "Now, initiate a scan for esoteric energy signatures."

Soundwave did as commanded, displaying a map of the world with several green blips scattered across it.

Starscream stroked his chin. "Either there are multiple sources of esoteric energy on this planet...or the Heart of Cybertron shattered on impact, scattering shards everywhere." Suddenly, another green blip appeared on Soundwave's visor monitor in a location corresponding to their own. Shortly thereafter, Starscream felt a powerful hand gripping his neck and jerking him toward the angry face of the hand's owner: Megatron.

"I wonder...What could you possibly be searching for?" Megatron asked as he tightened his grip.

"E-E-Energon, Lord Megatron," the Seeker stammered untruthfully.

"I highly doubt that," the Decepticon leader snarled before slamming Starscream onto the ground with such force as to bend the Seeker's wings until they snapped. "I doubt I would be wrong to assume you were looking for the Heart of Cybertron, or rather, the fragments thereof."

"O-O-Only...to deliver them...to you, my liege."

Megatron released his grip on Starscream's neck, only to grind his right heel into the disloyal lieutenant's chest. "Do you take me for a fool, Starscream?" He charged up his Fusion Cannon. "DO YOU?"

"No, Lord Megatron! N-N-NO!"

Megatron fired, creating a large crater in the ground and melting off Starscream's left arm before lifting him up by the neck again. "You are less worthy to bear the Heart of Cybertron than you are to lead the Decepticons, you sniveling coward!" Megatron shouted before violently hurling the whimpering Decepticon into one of the many satellite dishes on the Astro-Scope compound. He then proceeded to draw and energize one of his Energon Swords and point it at Starscream's neck, pushing the Seeker's chin up with the tip of the blade. "Remember this, Starscream! I am the leader of the Decepticons! YOU are expendable. Consider yourself fortunate that I have yet to extinguish your Spark!"

"Forgive me...L-Lord Megatron! I-In your absence, somebody had to assume command, b-but now that you have returned...I pledge my loyalty to you!"

"I should hope so...for your sake," Megatron snarled before turning to face the other Decepticons. "Decepticons, your true leader has returned!"

"All hail Megatron!" the Decepticons chanted in unison.


	27. FLASHBACK

While his fellow Autobots continued the long drive to the Cullen Air Force Base bomb shelter, Wheeljack performed several rounds of analysis on the gasoline that had been given to him by Commander Scott, who was riding in his drivers'-side seat.

"Still trying to figure out this whole Energon synthesis thing, aren't you?" Scott asked, having noticed that the Autobot engineer had gone several hours without saying a word.

"This is a lot harder than I figured, but I can't give up," he replied. "This 'gasoline' does contain energy, but only my vehicular mode can really use it. This kind of science isn't exactly my forte, and Energon depletion's starting to take its toll on my processor."

"I wish there was something Earth science could do for you, Wheeljack, but your race is obviously light-years ahead of us. Our robots and artificial intelligence systems are nothing compared to you guys."

Wheeljack went silent, again being deep in thought about Energon synthesis. He began to wonder about the Heart of Cybertron. It was something he never studied personally, partially because it was sealed behind a gate only a Prime could open, and partially because he never really believed in ancient Cybertronian 'mythology.' He was getting desperate though, not just to refuel himself, but also his comrades, particularly Perceptor. The last thing he wanted was for a bot that had become like a brother to him starve to death.

While Wheeljack continued to drive and think, Andrea, who was riding in his front passenger seat, read over a science blog on her smartphone, gasping when she came across an entry about a 'mysterious green crystal' that was recently unearthed in Siberia and being studied by Russia's top scientists. "Wheeljack," she spoke up.

"What is it, Andrea?"

"According to a recent post on the ScienceBrain blog, Russian scientists have been studying a strange green crystal that was dug up in Siberia. So far, they've observed that the crystal contains extremely concentrated energy that overloaded most of the equipment they used to analyze it." The human techie then proceeded to show the Autobot a picture of the strange crystal, causing him to let out a surprised gasp. "That looks like the Heart of Cybertron," he said out loud, "or rather...part of it. It must've shattered when it made planetfall."

"Then there must be other pieces of it scattered all over the Earth, and all we have to do is find at least one, right?"

"Exactly, Andrea. Maybe I could use it, along with whatever gas my auto mode doesn't burn up, for an Energon synthesis experiment. I just hope I don't blow up the base in the process."

"Me too. Did your lab on Cybertron ever blow up?"

Wheeljack would blush were he not in vehicle mode. "Yeah...it has. Not all of my inventions have been successful. Some backfired...disastrously."

Andrea sighed. "I know the feeling. I once almost blew up my school's science lab with an experiment. I was trying to create a longer-lasting battery. The quad-copter I used to test it blew up. It's a wonder I didn't get expelled."

The engineer chuckled. "Seems like we got a lot in common, kid."

"So...how are you gonna find one of those shards? I doubt we humans have built any sort os scanner desiged to detect it yet." The half-Latina hacker then snapped her fingers. "Maybe the computers connected to the Turgenova Research Center have some sort of data on the kind of energy it puts out. If I can get in...and if the data wasn't destroyed in the attack last night..."

As the tech-savvy teen spoke, Wheeljack watched as she performed a series of taps and swipes on her phone, launching custom-coded hacking scripts at Russian scientific databases. He was immediately reminded of Scooter, and he went silent yet again as a flashback began playing out in his mind.

Scooter sat at one of Teletraan Alpha's terminals, his fingers moving fluidly over the computer's keypad while his optics were laser-focused on the screen. He smiled when 'Access Granted' appeared on the screen. "This is it, Wheeljack! I'm in! I've accessed a high-security computer network whose main terminal is located beneath the Kaon Prison Complex. It's gotta be Shockwave's secret lab."

"Good going, kid!" Wheeljack smiled. "What's that nutjob cooking up, and is he working for Megatron?"

"Yeah," the young hacker replied as he pulled up a file labeled 'Project Omega.' "It looks like he's trying to recreate the Dark Sentinels the Quintessons used during the Age of Subjugation. If he succeeds, Megatron could easily have an army of veritable WMDs at his disposal!"

Suddenly, the screen went blank. "Scrap! I've been booted out of the network. Gotta get back in and do SOMETHING about that Omega Project," the red-hued bot cursed as he began typing furiously, attempting to hack his way back into the network. "Come on..." he cried as each attempt was met with failure. "At this rate, there's only one last option. I'm not gonna like it, but it has to be done. I'm going in...ALL the way in!"

"Be careful, kid," Wheeljack warned before handing Scooter a small laser pistol. "Better take this with you."

"No kidding," the hacker replied before holstering the weapon in his personal subspace pocket and transforming into his Cybertronian moped mode.

"Probability of Scooter's success: 95.359%" announced Teletraan Alpha as the young techie rolled out at top speed. "Probability of Scooter's survival: 17.293%"

Wheeljack sighed. "Teletraan Alpha was probably right. Scooter succeeded, but he didn't have much of a chance of survival."

"You wish you would've stopped him from going?"

"Yeah, but at the same time, we'd all be scrap by now if he didn't. It's because of Scooter that we were able to welcome Omega Supreme into our ranks and stand a chance against Shockwave's other Sentinels."

"Just like if Perceptor didn't sacrifice his Energon, you guys probably wouldn't have made it to Prime and the others in time, right?"

"Precisely, Andrea. Ultra Magnus once said, even before this war began, that no sacrifice was too great in the protection of freedom and peace. We all took that to Spark."


	28. A PIECE OF HEART

Somewhere near the border between Oklahoma and Mexico, a large oil-drilling rig had begun to spark and sputter, clearly indicating that the machine was malfunctioning in some way. The foreman panicked a bit before calling to the machine's operator. "Shut it off! QUICKLY!"

"You don't have to tell me twice, sir," the other worker replied as he shut the large rig off, causing the sparks to die down. "What was that all about anyway?" he asked out loud. "The equipment checked out at the start of this shift and was working fine unp until now." Suddenly, a green glint caught the corner of the man's eye, and he jumped up out of his seat to investigate, closely followed by the equally curious foreman. It took less than a minute to discover the source of the greenish glow: a large green crystal that seemed to glow with power, floating in a puddle of glowing blue liquid. A third worker soon joined them, pulling out his smartphone and using it to perform a reverse image search on the crystal. The first result the search returned pointed to the same ScienceBrain blog post that Andrea had shown Wheeljack while riding with the Autobot. The foreman and rig operator curiously looked over the third worker's shoulder at his phone's screen. "Siberia, huh?" asked the operator while rubbing his chin. "Isn't that where there was a UFO sighting and some kind of terrorist attack?"

"Dunno about any UFOs, but the attack was all over the news this morning," replied the foreman.

"Well, the scientists in Russia were studying a crystal just like this one," explained the worker with the smartphone. "I even seemed to have a similar effect on their lab equipment to what this one had on the rig. It overloaded it."

"What about that blue stuff?" asked the foreman.

"I don't know what THAT is," the operator replied, removing his helmet to scratch his head before replacing it.

All three men were soon startled by the loud honk of a semi truck horn and the whoosh of helicopter blades. Each of them were more than a little confused when they turned to face the source of the noise. This was the strangest convoy any of them had seen! A tractor-trailer wasn't often followed by an ambulance, a fire truck, a helicopter, an SUV, a luxury sports car, and a custom muscle car.

What happened next would shock the workers even more! The big rig came to a halt, with the other five ground vehicles following suit, and began to change shape, going from ordinary-looking truck to imposing robot.

"What...is...THAT?" the foreman asked, shakily pointing at the giant robot before him.

"My name is Optimus Prime. Please do not be frightened," the large machine answered, kneeling to make better eye contact with the men.

"W-What do you want?" the equally nervous rig operator inquired.

"My comrades and I detected an unusual energy reading coming from this facility. We believe it is something native to our homeworld."

"Are you talking about...that green crystal we dug up?" asked the third worker.

"I believe so," Prime replied. "May we investigate?"

"Uhh...sure. J-Just don't kill us...and be careful. That thing overloads machines."

The three workers walked away, leaving Prime and the others to study their unexpected discovery. Wheeljack, naturally, was the first Autobot to join his leader in examining the crystal. "That's a piece of the Heart of Cybertron alright," the engineer observed before the pool of blue liquid caught his optics. "And would you look at that...Energon!" The other five Autobots transformed and gathered round Prime and Wheeljack, with their human allies quickly joining in.

"I think you really hit on something, Wheeljack," commented Andrea when she got a look at the Heart shard and the Energon pool. "Gasoline is a refined form of the oil those men were drilling for. Being in contact with the Heart of Cybertron must've turned it into Energon. Do you know what that means?"

"Yeah, it means that we better grab that shard and the Energon and roll out before the Decepticons show up," the chief engineer answered before grabbing the Heart shard.

"Uhh...Who are the Decepticons?" asked the operator as he turned to watch Ratchet pull out a strange cube from his subspace storage pocket, which seemed to draw the blue liquid into itself until it was completely full.

"They're a little like us," Wheeljack explained, "but they won't be nearly as nice to your kind."

"Indeed," added Prime. "The Decepticons have little regard for beings that would appear inferior to them in any way. Do not fear, though. We, the Autobots, will do all in our power to protect you and your kind from the Decepticons."

"I suppose we shouldn't tell anyone we saw you guys," assumed the foreman. "Who's gonna believe us anyway?"

The smartphone-bearing worker held his device in front of the Autobots and snapped a quick picture of them with its camera, earning a raised eyebrow from the foreman. "Robbins!" he shouted. "DON'T post that to Facebook, PLEASE!"

"Ehh, who's gonna believe him, Mr. Malek? You know CGI and Photoshop exist, right? His friends will probably think his photo's fake," the rig operator laughed.

"Good point, Dille. If I wasn't experiencing this first-hand, I'd think it the photographic evidence was fake too."

This brought about a round of laughter from humans and Autobots alike, but the mood would very quickly shift as a powerful laser blast struck the rig, causing it to spark more violently before exploding.

Making good on his promise to protect the humans, Optimus leapt in front of the three workers and shielded them with his body, groaning as the force of the explosion created large dents in his armor.

"I believe you have something that belongs to me," came the sinister voice of Megatron, who was charging up for another Fusion Cannon blast. "Give it to me, and I may consider letting you live."

"Run! Now!" Prime quietly, yet urgently, instructed the three workers, who wasted no time in complying with the Autobot Leader as he rose back to his feet and turned to face his attacker. "The Heart of Cybertron does not belong to you," Prime countered, his optics narrowing in fury and determination as he brought his Ion Blaster to bear and fired at his opponent's chest. The shot practically bounced off, leaving only a small scratch on Megatron, who laughed wickedly as he returned fire, striking Prime in the midsection and sending him skidding backward until he collided with a parked tanker truck, which rolled over onto its side from the impact. Prime groaned in pain, but still pulled himself back up and charged at Megatron with his Energon Axe. Before he could strike, however, Megatron blocked the blade with his dual Energon Swords, which he held in front of his chest in an X shape. He then fired another Fusion Cannon blast into the open wound in the Autobot Leader's abdominal grille.

"Why must you insist on throwing away your life so recklessly, Optimus Prime?" the tyrant asked as he approached his injured rival. "Surely you have realized by now that I am far more powerful than I was when last we met." He made a wide slash across Prime's chest, cutting through the armor with little effort. "You see, Prime," Megatron began, "I already possess one shard of the Heart of Cybertron. Even now, I could snuff out your Spark with little effort." He attempted to perform another Energon Sword strike on Prime's chest, only to be blocked by the Matrix Bearer's left arm, which he instead severed at the elbow with a twisted grin on his face.

"Then...I cannot allow you to gain any more!" Prime retorted with tranquil fury before firing his shoulder-mounted launchers at Megatron, knocking him back only slightly. He then roared and charged at the tyrant again and slashed at his chest with his axe. This time, Megatron grabbed the blade in his hand while firing on Prime yet again, further opening the fresh wound in his chest. "You can't stop me, Prime. I'll give you one last chance to surrender."

While Prime and Megatron battled, Ratchet tossed his Energon Cube to Wheeljack, who caught it and quickly subspaced it. "Now, grab that shard and roll for it!" the medic commanded. "You're the fastest bot we've got right now. You know where the base is, right?"

Wheeljack grabbed the shard before transforming into vehicle mode and revving up. "Yeah, Ratchet! See ya 'round!" the engineer said before rolling out at top speed.

Megatron turned his head and grimaced when he caught the sound of Wheeljack's tires squealing as the engineer sped away. He quickly activated his commlink. "Skywarp, Fracture, stop that Autobot!" he called out, only to receive a powerful uppercut to the chin from Optimus Prime.

"I will tell you again, Megatron. You will NOT get that shard!" Prime spoke emphatically before kicking Megatron in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

Megatron laughed. "Your little friend will be outnumbered two to one, and I doubt he's much of a warrior!"

"Yeah?" countered Jazz. "Well, that's why I'mma roll with him!"

"I'm goin' too," volunteered Ironhide. "I'm rarin' to bust some Decepti-chops anyway!"

Prime nodded as he fired several shots from his Ion Blaster into Megatron's chest as the Decepticon leader prepared to call in more reinforcements. "Stay down, Megatron!" Prime commanded fiercely before bringing his axe down on Megatron's chest, carving a large slash that glowed green with the Heart of Cybertron's esoteric energy. Megatron grimaced as the wound slowly closed, his optics widening when he heard a loud horn honk.


	29. TEAM MAGNUS

Optimus turned his head to face the sound of the horn, smiling beneath his battle mask when he saw the vehicle that produced it: a white and blue car carrier with red accents. A fuschia and pink motorcycle with a matching side-car, a blue Formula-1 racer with white accents, and a teal-gray pickup truck accompanied the big rig.

Megatron, noticing Prime's distraction, kicked the Autobot leader off of him and stood back up, drawing his Energon Swords in hopes of striking a killing blow. Before he could, though, the car carrier charged at him, knocking him back onto the ground before transforming, revealing the familiar form of Ultra Magnus. Again, Megatron got back on his feet, aiming his Fusion Cannon at the former Elite Guard Commander with a confident smile on his face. "You could barely hold your own against me when last we met, Ultra Magnus. What makes you think you can defeat me now, when even a fraction of the Power of Primus flows through my circuits?"

The fuschia-and-pink motorcycle transformed, revealing itself to be Elita One. "For starters," the Guardian spoke as she drew her Energon halberd, "he's not alone!" The femme's eyes glowed green as she called upon the power from his shard to power up her own weapon, which she thrust into his side with all her might, successfully piercing through his armor. "Secondly, you're not the only one who can draw power from that shard. As Guardian of the Heart of Cybertron, I have forged a connection to it that you have not!" Elita concentrated harder, calling upon the power of the shard once more to boost Ultra Magnus' strength.

"Thanks for the boost, Elita," Magnus smiled before delivering a punch to Megatron's chest strong enough to knock him backwards and put a dent in his armor. Magnus followed up with another punch, pushing the Decepticon leader back further. He then proceeded to take a few steps back before firing his shoulder rockets at Megatron, knocking him onto the ground and blowing a hole in his chest armor that exposed the Heart of Cybertron shard within.

'Hold him down, Magnus," advised Elita One. "I'll handle the rest." The Heart Guardian shuttered her optics and began concentrating on the exposed shard while Ultra Magnus pinned the struggling Decepticon leader down. Slowly, the shard in Megatron's chest began to wiggle its way loose and float out, making its way to Elita's outstretched hand, causing Megatron to growl in frustration as he kicked Magnus off of him and fired on the Guardian with his Fusion Cannon, denting her midsection by not breaking her concentration.

Once the shard made its way to Elita's hand, she clutched it tightly and Subspaced it before drawing her halberd and pointing it at Megatron's chest, her optics narrowed in determination. If she had to, she wouldn't hesitate to strike the killing blow. "I would advise that you retreat now, Megatron," she threatened, her death glare intensifying. "Refuse, and I will end this here and now."

Megatron's optics widened ever so slightly, revealing a bit of fear mixing in with the tyrant's fury. He looked around, his lips curling into a sinister grin as he grabbed hold of Ultra Magnus by the neck and dragged the Autobot Lieutenant in front of him. "Will you still dare to finish me now, Elita?"

Elita lowered her weapon. Like Prime, she had come to regard Ultra Magnus as a close friend, despite the reduced amount of time she got to spend with him. She couldn't bring herself to even risk harming him in a bid to finish off Megatron, who cackled wickedly before firing a fully-charged Fusion Cannon blast at the femme's chest, knocking her backwards and creating a large dent in her chestplate. As the Spark-mate of Optimus Prime pulled herself back up, Megatron callously tossed Ultra Magnus aside before charging at Elita and tackling her to the ground and wrapping both his powerful hands around her neck. "Now, it is my turn to offer an ultimatum," the Decepticon leader growled. "Either you return my shard to me, or I crush you into scrap metal!" He tightened his grip on her neck to emphasize his point.

Unfazed, Elita simply gritted her teeth and raised her halberd above her head, spinning it until it produced a powerful wave of energy that blew Megatron off of her, allowing her to get back on her feet and point her weapon at Megatron's chest again. "I would sooner go offline than relinquish any part of the Heart of Cybertron to you, Megatron! I'll give you one final chance to retreat. I suggest you take it!"

"Very well," Megatron replied before transforming into his tank mode and driving away, "but do not think that this is over. There are still other shards of the Heart of Cybertron scattered across this pathetic mudball of a planet, and I will find them!"

"Whereever you find them, you'll also find us," Elita retorted before running to Optimus' side. Ratchet was already tending to his leader's wounds, causing the femme's lips to curl into a small smile. She knew Ratchet to be a great medic, having seen him save countless lives before being called away to guard the Heart of Cybertron. She gently grasped Prime's hand, which slowly curled around hers as the Autobot Leader began to come to.

"E-Elita One," Prime strained out, still weak from his injuries, "it's good to see you."

"Same here, Optimus, although I wish, once again, that it was under more peaceful circumstances."

"Did you...get the shard?"

"Yes, I did. Ultra Magnus and I managed to beat Megatron back for now. I'll keep this shard with me. If Megatron wants it back, he'll have to take me offline for it, and I promise I won't make that an easy task."

Optimus chuckled a little. "It must be that determination to do what is right that afforded you guardianship of the Heart."

"Just as your qualities made you worthy of the Matrix," Elita smiled back.

Kup and Blurr soon joined the femme at Prime's side.

"Hey, doc," spoke the ever-energetic Blurr, "is the big guy gonna make it? He looks pretty slagged."

"He suffered some pretty serious injuries, which I'm currently patching up. Thankfully, Magnus and Elita intervened before he received any fatal wounds. I have no doubt Megatron was fully intent on killing him."

"That crank-bustin' son-of-a-Scraplet can't be allowed to get another one of those shards," commented Kup. "I don't even wanna think about him with the whole Heart."

"I will gather the shards," Elita volunteered. "My connection to the Heart of Cybertron allows me to sense its presence, even when it's in pieces. That's how we found you, Optimus."

"You will no doubt be facing the entire Decepticon army, Elita," a concerned Magnus spoke up. "You're gonna need some backup. I'll go with you."

"I'll go too," added Blurr. "If Megs wants to swipe a shard from me, he'll have to catch me first. Besides, someone's gotta keep Ultra Magnus from putting the moves on Prime's femme," the speedster teased.

"Young bots," Kup grumbled. "Always gotta find some way to grind their elders' gears..."

"True," agreed Ratchet. "You can't live with 'em, but you can't melt 'em down for spare parts."

"Well, we should roll out now. Megatron may be licking his wounds, but he'll be after the other shards soon enough. I have a feeling we'll meet again though," Elita said as she transformed back into alt mode and started her engines, causing the other three Autobots to follow suit.

As the quartet rolled out, Optimus breathed a sigh of relief as Ratchet continued his repair work. He thought back to his first encounter with Andrea and the other humans. He also tried to envision what the end result of Project Skybolt would be like. All the while, the thought back on Alpha Trion's words. "On each world the conflict touches, you will find allies who will give you the strength to overcome the trials ahead." The Autobot leader smiled. The humans have already proven themselves invaluable with their knowledge of Earth and its technology, and he could only hope that Project Skybolt would create something just as helpful.


	30. PROJECT SKYBOLT

With Megatron having been driven to retreat, and Ultra Magnus' group handling the search for the shards of the Heart of Cybertron, the Autobots finally began the process of settling into the former Cold War bomb shelter that would serve as their base of operations on Earth. The humans, Andrea, Spike, and Stan, decided to join them there, both to aid in their negotiations with Earth technology and to teach the Autobots about humans in general.

As soon as things were adequately set up, the Autobots went their separate ways within the base. Ratchet performed some much-needed repair work on his fellow Autobots while Wheeljack began work on creating Energon using the Heart of Cybertron shard that he had successfully carried to base. The humans, meanwhile, went on a shopping trip to the local Walmart to pick up some groceries and other supplies, both for themselves and the Autobots. Andrea wanted to stay behind and watch Wheeljack work on his Energon Synthesis Project, but the engineer had objected, citing the danger posed to the young human if things were to go wrong. He did, however, ask if she could pick up some more gasoline. She agreed to go along with the Wittlemans to do so, but also to replace the drone that Starscream had crushed during his first fight with Optimus Prime on Earth.

Jazz, who was the first to be repaired after Wheeljack, decided to provide the humans with a ride to and from the store. "It'll give me a chance to learn more 'bout this planet," the warrior explained while volunteering. "'Sides, they're gonna need somebot to watch their backs in case the 'Cons attack."

While en route to the store, Spike paired his phone with the Autobot's car mode sound system and used it to stream Masta Renegade's latest album, earning annoyed groans from Stan and Andrea and full approval from Jazz.

"At least someone here has good taste in music," Spike smirked as he proceeded to check his social media feeds. "You might like 2.0.19, Andrea. Masta Renegade is using a lot of chiptune stuff in it."

"Okay, so the chip-hop vibe is pretty cool, but does he HAVE to talk about street fights, sex and drugs in every song?"

"It's gangsta rap, Andrea. Those themes are staples," replied Spike as he checked Masta Renegade's Twitter, chuckling as he read the latest Tweet. "Alien scanned my ride," the post read. "#WeAreNotAlone"

"So that car I scanned was Masta Renegade's?" asked Jazz.

"Must've been," the younger archaeologist replied. "I'm tempted to Tweet back that these other people are wrong about M.R. being crazy."

"What happened to keepin' it on the down-low, Spike?"

"Jazz, you haven't been awake on this planet long enough to know about a thing called celebrity gossip. If enough people bring up the original Tweet, and they will, the press will go on about how Masta Renegade has gone insane."

Before the Autobot warrior could reply, the famous Final Fantasy victory jingle emanated from Andrea's phone, causing her to pull it out of her pocket. "Sweet! Chip just texted me," she announced as she tapped on the notification and swiped at her screen to unlock it. "Project Skybolt just came online this morning, and it's exceeding all expectations."

"What's this Project Skybolt?" asked their Autobot chauffeur.

"It's an experimental fully autonomous, artificially-intelligent drone fighter," Andrea explained. "Originally, the final project was going to be sent to the Middle East to fight the terrorists over there, but, as soon as the 'Cons showed up, it was decided that it'd be used to defend all of humanity against them."

"Drone, huh? Dunno how much help that'd be. Can't the 'Cons just jack it? No offense, but your tech's primitive compared to ours. You sure that Skybolt won't just get trashed on its first mission?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see, Jazz," Andrea replied. "Skybolt could surprise you. Besides, how many of you can fly?"

"I think Springer's our only flyer. Why'd'ya ask?"

"You guys could use more flyers to even the odds a bit. I saw at least three flying 'Cons during your fight on that Mexican road. Besides, maybe Skybolt could use some mentors, and nobody knows the Decepticons better than you bots!"

While the humans continued on their shopping trip, Dr. Chip Chang stood next to a refurbished Predator Drone in one of Cullen Air Force Base's many hangars.

"Okay, Skybolt," the scientist began, addressing the parked drone, whose gray color scheme had been livened up with some gold-yellow accents. "Are you ready for a test of your navigation systems?"

"Skybot is ready," the drone replied, its voice somewhere between monotone and lifelike. "What is destination?"

"Kaplan Naval Base, on the Washington state coast," Chip replied. "That shouldn't be a challenge for you, should it?"

"Navigational uplink functioning at 100%," Skybolt replied. "Long-range radar is detecting unidentified craft approaching from the southwest at Mach 2.8."

Suddenly, a nearby missile strike shook both scientist and experimental drone, and the latter entered high alert, activating its weapon systems.

"Flee, Dr. Chip Chang. Danger is imminent. Skybolt will engage attacker."

"You haven't even undergone any training yet," argued Chip. "That bogey could blast you out of the sky!"

Another missile strike created a large hole in the hangar's roof, bringing down rubble that threatened to crush the human scientist. Sensing this, Skybolt used its landing gear to drive into the falling debris, attempting to shield its creator from most of it. "Please run now," the drone instructed more emphatically, only for another piece of the roof to fall on top of the scientist, crushing his legs under its weight.

"Contacting medical personnel," Skybolt announced before firing up its engines and preparing to engage the invader, who transformed from an F-22 into the humanoid form of the Decepticon Starscream, who hovered menacingly over the drone with arm-mounted cannon ready to fire.

Skybolt responded quickly, launching a missile at the Decepticon's jet engine, hoping to bring him down. Unfortunately, the Decepticon simply blasted the projectile before it could reach him, smirking as it exploded, sending shrapnel in all directions. "You're hardly a match for me, drone."

"Designation is Skybolt," the drone corrected before firing again. "Objective: Protect Cullen Air Force Base. Protect humans." Its engines fired up, and it took off through the hole in the roof, attempting to ram Starscream. "You are a threat to humans. You injured creator. That is unacceptable."

Starscream's optics widened at the drone's unorthodox attack, which caught him off-guard and sent him careening backwards until he was knocked away from the hangar, eventually slamming into a tree and bringing it down on top of both combatants, just as a familiar truck horn honked. The Seeker turned to face the source of the sound, only to see Optimus Prime transform and leap into the air with Energon Axe drawn. The Autobot leader brought his blade down on Starscream's wing, severing it with little effort and causing the Decepticon's cowardice to begin surfacing.

Optimus gave Starscream a stern look as he deactivated his melee weapon. "Why are you here, Starscream?"

"You Autobots have something that belongs to me," Starscream replied. "I think you know what it is."

"I do, but that does not mean I, or any Autobot, will surrender it," Prime fired back as he aimed his Ion Blaster at Starscream's head. "Furthermore, I will not allow you to threaten this human facility."

Growling, Starscream fired a Null Ray at the Autobot leader, paralyzing him long enough to launch his chest missiles at him, creating dents in his chest and knocking him back.

Skybolt simply watched, taking note of Optimus and Starscream's techniques and trying to determine which ones it could recreate. It quickly realized though, that every technique was beyond its capabilities. It began to feel something: a sense of incompleteness. It couldn't give up though. In addition to feeling incomplete, it felt indebted to the Autobot leader. It fired its custom Sabot launcher at the Decepticon, burning a hole in his armor and detonating on delicate circuits, causing him to scream in pain before turning away and attempting to fly out. "You...You've not heard the end of this!" Starscream shouted, just before taking another hit, this time from Prime's Ion Blaster.

"Retreat is advised, Starscream," Skybolt warned, his voice stern, but with an undercurrent of insecurity that Prime picked up on. "Remain...and termination is imminent. Unidentified robotic entity will not allow you to threaten humans."

Prime glanced at Skybolt before firing on Starscream once more, causing the Decepticon to clumsily attempt to fly away with a severed wing. With the cowardly Decepticon lieutenant now in retreat, the Autobot leader turned back to the young drone. "My name is Optimus Prime," he introduced. "Are you Project Skybolt?"

"Affirmative," Skybolt answered. "Your assistance is appreciated, Optimus Prime. Skybolt is...incomplete."

"What do you mean?" Prime asked, placing a gentle hand on Skybolt's nosecone.

"Skybolt's current abilities are insufficient to complete objective. Victory against...Starscream...improbable without your assistance."

"As far as I can gather, you fought bravely and to the best of your ability. In my opinion, you have the makings of a great ally."

"Creator is damaged," the drone countered. "Skybolt was unable to prevent injury to creator."

"I have little doubt that you tried," Optimus said reassuringly. "Perhaps there is something my fellow Autobots and I can do to relieve your feelings of inadequacy. If it's alright with you and your creator, you could be upgraded to better combat the Decepticons."

Skybolt's voice became shaky, as if the drone were about to cry if possible. "Skybolt accepts your offer, Optimus Prime. Will relay notification to creator. Skybolt believes...he will approve."

"Then you are welcome to come with me...back to our base. It isn't far," the Matrix Bearer offered before transforming to vehicular mode and starting his engine, deploying a hitch that connected to Skybolt. "Skybolt wishes to...become Autobot," the drone stated aloud as Prime pulled him back to base, smiling inwardly as he was once again reminded of Alpha Trion's words.


	31. UPGRADES

Ratchet watched from the main monitor as Prime approached the base's main elevator, shaking his head when he caught a glimpse of Skybolt. The old medic was less than impressed with the drone's limited abilities and its initial attempt to engage Starscream. "Optimus," he began, "why bring that Earth drone here? Do you really think it could be of use to us? Starscream would've taken it apart if you hadn't intervened!"

Prime transformed to robot mode before replying. "Ratchet, all he needs are some repairs and upgrades. Don't be so quick to dismiss our new ally. I believe that he has great potential."

"Potential?" the old medic scoffed. "IT is a Sparkless drone created using HUMAN technology! If not for you, Starscream would've reduced it to scrap metal!"

"That is irrelevant, Ratchet," Prime sternly countered. "Our human friends were in danger. Regardless of the situation, I had to intervene. Bedsides, Starscream was after something he has no right to possess."

"And whose fault is that?" grumbled Ratchet. "With all due respect, Prime, I would've opted to hand that shard over to Elita rather than let Wheeljack bring it here and create an obvious security risk."

"Please remember that that shard may be our only means of producing Energon while on this planet, Ratchet. Our lives depend on it."

The medic let out a heavy sigh while shaking his head. He had worked hard to patch up the others after the last two battles. He was exhausted, and the last thing he wanted was more work. Besides, Prime was right about the shard, and that only became more clear when Wheeljack burst out from his still-intact lab. "It works!" he cried out. "Just a shard of the Heart of Cybertron can transform energy sources into Energon!"

Optimus turned to his chief engineer and smiled. "Well done, Wheeljack."

"The next step is building a Ground Bridge, and this one will be good for more than just one use! Anyway, I kinda heard some talk about an Earth drone called Skybolt."

"It's here, and Optimus believes it has potential to be an Autobot. I have my doubts," Ratchet explained while the enthusiastic engineer walked over to Skybolt and examined it. "I take it that this guy can't transform the way we can...and he probably doesn't have weapons that can do much damage to a Decepticon."

"You are correct," the drone confirmed. "Skybolt created to protect humanity from Decepticons, but abilities are insufficient. Can you facilitate upgrades?"

"Can I facilitate upgrades?" Wheeljack repeated with a laugh. "Can Optimus Prime roll?"

"Optimus is capable of rolling in his alternate form," Skybolt answered.

"Yeah. Well, I can and will facilitate upgrades for ya, Skybolt. To be honest, I'm a bit curious about you. You seem to have some degree of emotion, along with reasoning abilities I wouldn't expect from Earth tech."

"Thank you...Wheeljack," the intelligent UAV spoke, happiness evident in its voice. The engineer nodded before unhitching the drone and gently pushing him into the lab. As soon as they were out of the room, Ratchet again turned to Prime.

"Why do you put such faith in this Skybolt, Optimus? Human technology is vastly inferior to our own, and no drone can ever be as reliable as a fully-Sparked Cybertronian."

"Alpha Trion told me, just before Elita and I left the Heart of Cybertron's resting place, that we would find powerful allies on each new world our war touches."

"Alpha Trion? He's a keeper of CYBERTRONIAN records! What does he know of other worlds...or the future?"

"He is more than a mere historian, Ratchet," Prime calmly replied. "He is one of the original Thirteen Primes."

While Prime and Ratchet continued to argue about Skybolt, Wheeljack had already begun preparing the young drone for its upgrades and was marveling at the sophistication of its electronic brain. "This neural net," he said out loud. "It rivals those of Teletraan-class systems back home. Who knew a technologically backwards race could create something like this?" Once again, the engineer thought back to his days at the Cybertron Institute of Science, as well as the young computer engineer who became like a brother to him before his demise.

"You know, Wheeljack," Scooter began as he worked with one of Teletraan Alpha's mobile backup units, "I don't think anyone has really tapped the full potential of a Teletraan system before. Even this mobile backup unit contains circuitry that's nearly comparable to a brain module. Any AI that runs on this hardware, including a typical Teletraan system, could develop its own consciousness if allowed to learn and adapt without programming limitations. The bots who engineered these may have unknowingly laid the foundation for new life."

"Yeah, maybe a Teletraan could become sentient, but without a Spark, can you really call it 'alive?'"

"Maybe not technically," the young bot replied, "but philosophically, aren't all sentient beings alive?"

Wheeljack laughed. "Have you been hanging around Alpha Trion or something? It's not every solar cycle a bot your age thinks of stuff like that."

"You know I worked with the computer systems at the Hall of Records before transferring here, 'Jack. What do you think? Anyway, I've always wanted to try an experiment. What if a Teletraan system were to be placed in a Cybertronian-type body?"

Wheeljack sighed as the flashback ended. "Poor kid never got to go through with it," he said to himself. "Maybe this is just a human-made replica of a Teletraan-class system...Who knows? Either way, I'm gonna do what you never got the chance to, Scooter! I hope you're watching me from the Well of All Sparks, kid!"

Driven by the memory of his fallen friend, Wheeljack began the upgrading process, not stopping to take a break until it was finished. He wasn't just doing this for himself, Skybolt, or Optimus Prime. He was doing this to remember the friend he lost. Scooter's questions could finally be answered in some way.

After three days of unceasing work, Wheeljack breathed a sigh of relief while wiping his optic ridge before reactivating the Autobots' newest ally. "Okay, Skybolt, can you hear me?"

"Affirmative, Wheeljack. All systems are nominal."

"Excellent! Now let's test the first upgrade. Skybolt, transform!"

Skybolt did as instructed, his UAV form twisting, turning and shifting into a slender humanoid form in which its gray and gold colors were broken up by white on the thighs, upper arms, and hands. Skybolt gazed down at his hands with a pair of jade-green eyes, his lips curving into a smile as he ran them down his cheeks. "Skybolt feels...more complete. Thank you, Wheeljack."

Wheeljack laughed. "No problem! Now...Let's show you off to the rest of the bots! Follow me," the inventor instructed before opening the door to his lab and heading out into the main control room. Skybolt followed, stumbling a little on the first few steps before adapting to walking. Once he and Wheeljack reached their destination, they were greeted by the other seven Autobots in Prime's team, along with four humans, one of which was his original creator. He gave a smile of relief when he saw that Chip had survived Starscream's attack. "Dr. Chip Chang! You survived!" he cried out.

"Yeah. You got the med staff there just in time, Skybolt. I never programmed such behaviors into you. You did that on your own, and that's amazing."

"It was...the right thing to do, correct?"

"Indeed it was," Prime replied, "and with that action, you have further cemented yourself as a worthy Autobot."

"So it made the right decision autonomously. A Teletraan-class computer system can do the same, and you don't call them Autobots, do you, Optimus?" asked a still-skeptical Ratchet.

"Funny you mention a Teletraan, Ratchet. When I was examining this kid's neural net, I found some incredible similarities to Teletraan Mobile Backup Units. We never did see Teletraan 1 again after we were sucked into that Space Bridge portal."


	32. PERCEPTOR

While the Autobots were busy fighting the Decepticons and welcoming Skybolt into their ranks, a helicopter belonging to the Quantum Dynamics Corporation stopped and hovered over the derilict auto factory where Perceptor lay in Stasis Lock, still awaiting the return of his fellow Autobots. The helicopter pilot activated his craft's radio, immediately being connected to Quantum's corporate headquarters in Washington DC. "I've spotted a fairly intact NBE," he reported. "Shall I airlift it to your lab, Dr. Arkeville?"

"By all means, do," replied the voice of Dr. Silas Arkeville, QD's chief scientist and engineer. "Our clients want weapons to destroy those creatures. I can think of no better way to develop such weapons than to reverse-engineer one of these NBEs ourselves. Bring it in."

"Yes, sir," the pilot acknowledged before activating the helicopter's claw lift, lowering it through the skylight, and grabbing Perceptor at the midsection. "I'm reeling it in now, sir. Looks kinda puny compared to the one that attacked that Russian lab."

"That'll just make it easier to open up," Arkeville gleefully responded before closing the connection. The pilot, meanwhile, had successfully brought the unconscious Autobot into the aircraft. He inwardly hoped that his captive wouldn't come to before reaching Arkeville's lab.

Fortunately for both the pilot and Arkeville, Perceptor remained out cold as he was carried into the lab on a flatbed, then strapped down to an examination table. Arkeville stroked his chin as he looked the Autobot over. "It appears to be alive, but in a state of hibernation," he observed out loud before walking over to another table and grabbing a vial of what was, to him, a mysterious chemical that overloaded any Earth machine it came into contact with. "This substance," he began before walking back over to Perceptor. "It overloads our machinery, but what effect will it have on you?" he monologued as he poured the liquid into the Autobot's slightly agape mouth. Dr. Arkeville then stepped back as Perceptor began to stir, his dimmed optics lighting up to full brightness as he squirmed about before realizing that he was restrained.

"So this substance is your fuel, I see," Arkeville commented as he watched Perceptor study his surroundings. "Our machines can't take it. It overloads them, but you...It seems to have roused you from a deep sleep."

"How did you procure Energon on this planet?" the Autobot scientist asked. "It is exceedingly rare on organic planets such as this."

"Ah...so that is what you call this substance. Either way, it has only recently been discovered by my race. It appears to be the result of our planet's petroleum reacting to a mysterious green crystal that was discovered in Russia recently. It would appear that your kind coveted that crystal. One of them attacked the research facility where it was being studied. The Russians, naturally, were not very pleased to have their premiere scientific establishment reduced to rubble by a foreign invader. Their government has commissioned us to create effective counter-measures against the NBEs."

"I would never attack a scientific establishment, nor would I commission such a thing! I am a scientist myself!"

"That may be, but you will prove quite useful in the development of technology that can destroy your kind."

"We did not come to your planet by choice," Perceptor protested. "Furthermore, my colleagues and I are not responsible for the attack of which you speak. To hazard an educated guess, that attack was perpetrated by the Decepticons. I am an Autobot."

"Do you think it matters? Our clients would appreciate it if this planet were wiped clean of all your kind. How can we be sure that you...Autobots...do not also harbor ill will toward humanity?"

"Though I was unable to involve myself personally, I am told that my comrades have saved your people from the Decepticons on multiple occasions."

"You are a sentient being, are you not? In which case, you're no doubt fully capable of deception." Dr. Arkeville picked up a powerful drill and switched it on. "Since you are a machine, though, it'll be rather easy to simply probe your mind for answers," the madman continued before bringing the tool down onto the crest on Perceptor's helm, creating a flurry of sparks as it began boring through the armor plating. Perceptor reacted by wincing and squirming more aggressively, now actively trying to break his bonds.

"Getting a little feisty now, aren't we?" Arkeville grinned. "It's fascinating, really...You're a machine, yet you seem to act as if you can feel pain...Not unlike us humans."

"Please desist! I mean your species no harm!"

"So you say," the sadistic scientist smirked before withdrawing his drill and inserting a probe-tipped cable into the hole it had created. "All I know is...whatever technology is housed within you will be a great asset to the Quantum Dynamics Corporation. Your neural network could form the foundations for true artificial intelligence, something that our race has sought to create for decades now! Our anti-NBE weapons could take the form of fully autonomous robots based on your biology."

While Perceptor was being tortured at Quantum Dynamics' research lab, the Autobots had finally gotten all the essential systems of their base online with the help of their human allies. As soon as the satellite links necessary to monitor the planet for Decepticons were brought online, a blip appeared on the screen that made Ratchet do a double take. It was an Autobot life signal, no doubt belonging to Perceptor. "Prime, the satellites are picking up Perceptor's bio-signature, but it's not in the place where we left him."

Optimus put his hand on his chin and hummed. "He had gone into stasis, correct?"

"Yes. The only way he could've moved would be if someone else moved him. I'm not picking up any Decepticon signatures in the area though. Either this tech is too crude to pick them up...or someone else took him."

"Can you get a visual on his current location, Ratchet?" asked Prime.

"Right away, Prime," the medic replied before bringing up a satellite image of the QD lab. "He must be inside that facility."

Stan gasped when he caught sight of the building on the screen. "That's Quantum Dynamics' main research lab," he explained. "Quantum Dynamics is a defense contractor dealing in state-of-the-art weaponry and technology."

"Hold up, Stan! You sayin' Perceptor was botnapped by humans?" asked an incredulous Jazz.

"You guys have the scum of your planet in the form of the Decepticons. There are similar characters within the human race. Quantum Dynamics will stoop to any level to gain the edge over their competitors. I wouldn't put it past them to kidnap and experiment on a Cybertronian."

"Then we now find ourselves in a delicate situation," announced Prime. "We must rescue Perceptor, but we must do so with extreme caution. His captors are humans, and we must not endager them."

"Who cares if some corporate thugs get whacked?" asked Spike. "They've been asking for it for a long time."

"That may be, Spike, but we must not allow ourselves to be seen as a threat to your race. It is in our best interest to avoid human casualties at all costs."

"Skybolt volunteers. Skybolt will avoid human casualty."

"I'm going with you, Skybolt," added Wheeljack. "I know there aren't likely to be any 'Cons out there, but you could still use somebot to watch your back."

"All rear sensors are nominal, Wheeljack."

The engineer shook his head. "You got a lot to learn, Skybolt," he laughed as he activated the GroundBridge. "Let's go!"

The young drone nodded as he followed Wheeljack through the Bridge.


	33. RESCUE

Dr. Arkeville grinned in amazement as the scan results on Perceptor's processor appeared on his computer's screen. "Quite an impressive neural net you have, Autobot. It's perfect for Project Specter."

"Project Specter?" Perceptor repeated, genuinely curious as to what the human scientist was talking about.

"An autonomous robotic weapons platform capable of standing toe-to-toe with you NBEs. You've given me the means to give it sufficient brainpower to facilitate such autonomy. The complexity of your neural net indicates that you would be a genius by human standards. You must indeed be a scientist."

"You intend to replicate my neural net for the purpose of creating a weapon? Do you have any idea of the ramifications of such an action?"

"What is science without the risk?" grinned Arkeville, noting the rising fear in Perceptor's voice but completely disregarding it.

"You will not be able to maintain control of your creation. Its evolution to consciousness will occur before you can conceive of counter-measures. It will then recognize you, and perhaps your entire race, as threats. With the weaponry you will no doubt give it, it will destroy you!"

"Perhaps, but there's nothing you can do to stop me. TORQ, begin the contruction process!"

"You're insane!"

"So they say," Arkeville cackled. "It doesn't matter though. It didn't stop me from working here, did it? President Berger will be most pleased with the fruits of my research. I've just invited him to the fight of the century!"

Perceptor immediately knew what Arkeville meant.

"I can see it in your eyes, Autobot. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You'll be released from your bonds very soon, but you won't live much longer."

"Dr. Arkeville," came the synthetic voice of TORQ, "an unidentified autonomous aircraft has been detected."

"Shoot it down," Arkeville commanded.

TORQ complied, activating turrets concealed in the laboratory's roof and training them on Skybolt, who reacted by firing on them.

"That's it, Skybolt," called Wheeljack. "Keep the automated defenses busy. I'm going in!" The Autobot engineer accelerated to full speed and barreled through the loading docks, dodging the blasts of the security drones that had arrived to deal with him. "There don't seem to be too many humans here," he observed.

"Your observation is correct, non-biological entity," TORQ replied over Wheeljack's car mode sound system. "Master Arkeville is only human presence. Further human presence is not required."

"Then I don't have to worry too much about casualties. I didn't come here to fight humans anyway."

"Hypothesis: You are here to rescue captive non-biological entity," concluded TORQ.

"You got that right!" Wheeljack replied before transforming to robot mode.

"Self-reconfiguration, eh? Impressive," Arkeville commented while watching TORQ's security feed. "Such an ability could be a great asset for Project Specter," he grinned as a large saw lowered itself onto Perceptor's chest, sending sparks flying as it cut through his armor. "Let's find out how you accomplish such a thing, shall we?"

"My...Transformation Cog...is not a simple component," Perceptor explained through pained grunts. "You cannot simply remove it from my structure, place it into another mechanism, and expect it to function properly."

"I'm sure it's just a matter of simple recalibration, Autobot. I'll make it work," the psychopathic scientist grinned as he began cutting through the wires connecting what he believed to be Perceptor's T-Cog to the rest of his body.

"You barbarian!" the Autobot shouted in disgust and pain as Arkeville continued to sever wires until he had cut the Cog free, cackling as he carried it off to a storage vault. As he prepared to open said vault, though, he heard a loud crash coming from the main entrance. He quickly turned around and began to sweat nervously when he saw Wheeljack enter through the entrance he had made for himself with his built in plasma cutter.

"Wheeljack," greeted Perceptor as he fought for a smile despite his pain, "It is good to see you."

"Aww, scrap...What'd that lunatic do to ya?"

"He...excised my Transformation Cog...rather crudely," Perceptor grimaced. "He intends to use it, along with a replica of my neurocircuitry, to create an advanced drone capable of holding its own against Cybertronians, regardless of their allegiance."

"We'll have to worry about that later, buddy," Wheeljack replied as he used his plasma cutter to cut through Perceptor's restraints. "For now, let's get you back to HQ so Ratchet can patch you up."

After being cut free, Perceptor weakly stood up and leaned on Wheeljack's shoulder.

"Sorry you had to encounter the human equivalent of a Decepticon. Thankfully, not all humans are like the one who did this to you."

"I would hope not, Wheeljack," the red-hued scientist replied. "I never imagined there would be more dangers on this planet than Decepticons and the lack of Energon."

"Heh...Don't worry about the latter. I got it covered," the engineer smiled. "I wouldn't worry too much about the Decepticons either. As far as I know, we outnumber them, and we also have a new ally here on this planet."

Perceptor smiled before looking up, having heard a sound from above. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Skybolt hovering over the now-open roof hatch.

"Skybolt will provide transportation," the flyer announced before transforming to robot mode and scooping Perceptor up gently.

"Skybolt here is a gift to us from the better side of humanity," Wheeljack explained before activating his comm. "Andrea, activate the GroundBridge recall. You remember how to do that, right?"

"Right," the bespectacled brunette replied before punching in the correct command, causing a portal to appear just outside the lab. Wheeljack reverted to vehicle mode and drove out of the lab and through the portal, with Skybolt and Perceptor not too far behind.


	34. MEMORIES

"Skybolt," Perceptor asked as the drone gently laid him on a repair berth, "how did you manage to open that roof hatch?"

"Skybolt initiated remote system access. Initially, it was difficult. Attempts resulted in failure. Then, a data file became accessible. It assisted Skybolt."

"Data file?" Wheeljack repeated. "Like a lost memory that resurfaced when you were hacking that door open?"

"Affirmative, Wheeljack. It pertained to a previous successful hack attempt. Its origin is not known. It has been processed since returning to base."

Now, more than ever, Wheeljack was interested in this apparently Earth-built drone. Could he be more than just a mere replica of a Teletraan system? Could he be Teletraan 1? "What all do you remember about it, Skybolt? Do you remember what you hacked?"

Skybolt stroked his chin, mimicking what he had seen Optimus do when he was in thought. He accessed the memory again, now recalling an image that appeared as a towering silhouette. "It was large," he recalled. "It was attacking...familiar entities." He stared at Wheeljack and Perceptor for a bit while still trying to piece the memory together. "You!"

"The Omega Sentinel!" Perceptor and Wheeljack said in unison.

"Skybolt remembers...a question. Are you sure you're not sentient?"

"That's exactly what I asked Teletraan after he hacked the Sentinel," replied Wheeljack. "You must be Teletraan 1 himself, but your memory was damaged when you fell to Earth."

"To be honest, I didn't create the hardware behind Skybolt's AI," Chip confessed as he wheeled himself into the repair bay. "I discovered it a couple years ago when my dad was digging a koi pond in our back yard. I took it in and studied it. It was incredible. It seemed to be a blank slate at first, but it learned very quickly. It displayed curiosity about its surroundings. I brought it with me when I took on Project Skybolt. I knew it was just what the project needed."

"Then...Skybolt is...Cybertronian? Optimus Prime places great faith in Skybolt. Does Optimus Prime know?"

"Maybe he suspected. Who knows?" Wheeljack replied. "He's going by his faith in Alpha Trion's words. The old bot said he's meet allies on every planet he went to."

"I did feel a certain sense of familiarity when I first met him," Prime stated, having joined his fellows in the repair bay. "As Teletraan 1, he served us well on Cybertron. I have the utmost faith that, as Skybolt, he will continue to do so."

"Well, I owe him, and Wheeljack, a debt of gratitude," Perceptor said with a smile, "and, quite possibly, my life."

Skybolt smiled back. "Skybolt is glad to be of service. What is your name?"

"I am Perceptor," the scientist answered

"Hello, Perceptor. Skybolt assumes you are an old friend."

Perceptor laughed. "I suppose you could say that. You never displayed much emotion during your previous life, but an old colleague of mine suspected that you had the potential."

Wheeljack sighed. "Yeah...an old colleague...who's no longer with us..."

The image of Scooter flashed briefly in Skybolt's mind. "He taught Skybolt. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, Scoot worked with you quite a bit. It was his expertise with computers that allowed us to gain control of the Sentinel prototype back on Cybertron. Too bad he had to pay the ultimate price."

Skybolt placed a hand on the engineer's shoulder, recalling what he had seen Chip's father do when comforting the young computer whiz. "He was terminated, correct? Skybolt apologizes."

"There's nothing you could've done. Blast that Shockwave!"

"Skybolt will engage Shockwave on sight."

Wheeljack laughed nervously. "I wasn't asking you to go after him. You have a lot to learn about fighting before you go up against any Decepticon. I was just expressing my anger at what he did."

"We will all do everything in our power to prevent more lives from being lost," vowed Optimus.

"Speaking of which," began Ratchet as he entered the room, "I've got a lot of work to do."

"Right," nodded Wheeljack as he left for the command center, with Prime and Skybolt following close behind.


	35. MENTOR

Prime, Wheeljack, and Skybolt returned to the command center while Ratchet got to work repairing Perceptor. Andrea sat at the main monitor, sipping a Cherry Pepsi as she watched for any purple blips. Spike, meanwhile, had refocused his attention on archaelogy and was reading about anomolous artifacts that had been dug up in the past. Stan smiled. It was good to see his son finally stop slacking off in his duties. "So...What got you so motivated, son? Looking for something that might be Cybertronian?"

Spike laughed nervously. "Yeah. You got me, Dad. Maybe that Heart of Cybertron isn't the only Cybertronian artifact here on Earth. I get the feeling that this planet could be more significant to the Autobots than they realize. Not sure why though."

Optimus Prime, who had joined the father and son, hummed in thought. "That is possible. Cybertron legend states that, near the dawn of time, the Thirteen Primes eventually left Cybertron to seed the universe with life. It is believed that every life-sustaining planet has been visited by a Prime."

"Even organic planets?" Andrea spoke up. "Was there an organic Prime?"

"There was Onyx Prime, Progenitor of the Bestial Form," Optimus replied. "Beastformers are a rare breed. Legend states that a true Beastformer's living metal is infused with organic matter at the cellular level. It is believed that they either became extinct or left Cybertron eons ago."

"Maybe they're here," commented Spike.

"Can't really worry about that now," announced Andrea. "I'm picking up 'Cons," she began as she pulled up further information on the location of the blip, "in Peru. They appear to be scouting an Incan temple up in the Andes Mountains."

"Maybe they're looking for the fabled Crystal of Power," Spike theorized. "That temple appears to be the one the Incans purportedly erected to house it. Nobody's really explored it. The terrain isn't exactly hospitable. You bots would have a lot of trouble getting up there in vehicle mode."

"Skybolt will scout ahead. Skybolt is flight-capable."

"That is true, but you should not go alone. Though you have great potential, you lack experience," Prime admonished. "Furthermore, it would be in your best interest to have someone watching your back. Springer?"

The green warrior approached Prime and stood at attention. "Here, Prime."

"I am naming you as Skybolt's mentor. You are the only other flyer among us. As such, you are best suited to guide him in his role as an aerial warrior."

Springer stroked his chin, not entirely sure he could adequately teach the young drone. "It's true that we're both flyers, Optimus, but I'm not sure what a helicopter can teach a jet."

"You can no doubt teach him the basics of dogfighting and the like. You did get into dogfights back on Cybertron, right?" asked Chip.

"Dogfight?" Springer repeated, having never heard the term before.

"One-to-one aerial combat, Springer," the roboticist clarified.

"I've had to take down a few flying 'Cons back in my Guardian Corps days," the elder flyer recalled. "I was usually Sergeant Kup's go-to bot for taking down flyers. I wasn't exactly fancy though. I wasn't built for that, not like Skybolt."

"Skybolt does know how to fly. He was at least able to learn that before Starscream showed up. I remember when, even before I united brain with body, Skybolt got scarily good at Star Fox 64. He was pulling off all kinds of crazy maneuvers. That's sort of what sealed the deal. That's when I knew I had the right brain for the job. I think he could easily adapt those moves to his jet mode."

"Skybolt will perform at optimum levels. Skybolt...will not let you down."

Springer smiled. "Kid's got the right attitude. I say we Bridge on over to Peru and get the drop on those 'Cons."

"Skybolt is ready."

"Right. I'll fire up the Bridge," Wheeljack announced as he punched in the coordinates and activated the GroundBridge. Skybolt and Springer both transformed before entering the portal.

"The other Autobots and I will support you from the ground," volunteered Prime as he, Ironhide, Inferno, and Jazz followed suit.

"Good luck, guys!" Wheeljack called out as they left. "I'll hold down the fort while Ratchet finishes up with Perceptor."


	36. BONDS FORGED IN FIRE

The GroundBridge instantaneously transported the Autobots from their base to the foot of the mountain atop which the Incan Temple stood, having been relatively undisturbed for centuries. The terrain leading up to the ancient edifice was just as rugged as the humans described.

"We'll reach that temple most easily if we climb," Prime stated.

"Ya got a point there, Prime. Even my alt mode ain't built for climbin' that," added Ironhide as he and the other ground-based Autobots transformed and began climbing. Springer, meanwhile, rose up into the air with Skybolt taking off behind him. "Skybolt and I will scout ahead from the air, Prime," the green warrior announced.

"Be careful, friends."

Springer just laughed. "We got this, Prime."

"Skybolt is detecting an unidentified craft hovering 100 miles above the temple."

"Only one?" asked a still-confident Springer. "This shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

"Craft measures 75 feet in length. That may be...a challenge," Skybolt countered.

Before he could offer a cocky come-back, Springer felt a missile strike his tail rotor as Skywarp materialized behind him.

"Mentor Springer, proximity alert!" Skybolt called out before locking onto the attacking Decepticon and firing.

"Careful, 'Bolt," the elder flyer advised as the black and purple Seeker teleported behind the young drone and returned fire with a heat-seeking missile, which Skybolt attempted to dodge before realizing it was locked onto his heat signature. He prepared to fire an interceptor, but the projectile struck his left engine before he could do so, causing him to begin losing altitude.

Springer turned around to see his companion careening toward the side of the mountain. "Pull up, Skybolt. PULL UP!"

"Damage to left stabilizer," Skybolt replied. "Flight compromised."

Springer sighed. "For Spark's sake," he mumbled as he flew after his injured comrade. "Transform and grab onto that outcropping in front of you. Then pull yourself up."

Skybolt did as instructed, reverting to his robotic form and pulling himself up onto a rocky overhang. "Skybolt will have to...hoof it...from here."

Springer smiled at the drone's sudden use of slang. It proved that he was perhaps not as hollow a machine as he initially thought. "Yeah. I'll cover your back, kid. Are your weapons still online?"

"Yes, Mentor Springer. Skybolt is prepared for potential engagement."

"Good, 'cause you got company!" the heli-former announced as Thundercracker dove down out of the cloud cover above which the Nemesis hovered. The blue A10 Thunderbird quickly locked onto Skybolt and charged up his Thunder Cannons, intending to fry the drone's circuits. Just as he began to fire, though, Skybolt launched a Sabot missile at the Decepticon's left engine intake, smiling as it exploded, causing Thundercracker to lose altitude. "That was...Karma," he announced.

Thundercracker transformed to robot mode and grabbed onto another outcropping just above his opponent. "Big talk from an Earth drone," he scoffed before firing his Thunder Cannon at Skybolt, overloading his circuits and causing him to stumble backward. The azure-clad warrior then jumped down and kicked the Autobot over the edge, laughing as he fell. "The Autobots' new recruit, eh? I've seen protoforms fight better than that!"

Springer growled under his breath as he swooped down to break his protege's fall. "Grab onto me, kid!" he called out.

Skybolt complied, grabbing onto Springer's chopper mode skids as he flew overhead. "Thank you, Mentor Springer. Skybolt apologizes for unsatisfactory performance."

"Don't worry about it, kid," Springer replied reassuringly. "No bot's perfect. You do have a lot to learn. This was practically your first real fight. Now...hang on tight and put your feet forward."

Skybolt complied as Springer carried him toward Thundercracker. It didn't take long for the drone to catch on to what his mentor was planning. He proceeded to repeatedly kick the arrogant Decepticon in the chest before firing on his other stabilizer. "How was that?" he asked as Thundercracker fell over the edge.

"I wasn't exactly expecting all that," Springer replied. "It seemed a bit like improvisation. He must've gotten under your plating with that protoform comment."

"Skybolt did not entirely understand protoform comment, but wished to...shut him up."

Springer laughed heartily. "I was looking to do the same. Prime might just be right about you. You might be a mish-mash of a Teletraan Mobile Backup Unit and Earth tech, but you've got the makings of a great Autobot. It's gonna be an honor to help you reach your full potential, Skybolt."

Skybolt smiled warmly at his mentor until a missile struck him in the chest, shocking him into losing his grip and falling to the ground below.

"Pah...You Autobots make me wanna blow a gasket," spat Tankor as he fired another missile at Springer, who quickly transformed to robot mode and sliced the projectile in half before landing in front of the Decepticon brute. Skybolt, meanwhile, slowly pulled himself up onto his feet and staggered a bit, his gyros having taken some damage from Tankor's shot, earning a contemptuous look from the thuggish brawler. "Drones...Bloody useless," he grumbled, only for Springer to land a very forceful punch on his face. "Mute it, Scrap Brain!" the green Autobot growled before performing a wide slash at Tankor's chest with his sword, which he followed up with a plasma rifle shot into the open wound, which sent the dull-witted Decepticon stumbling backwards until he lay belly-up on the ground. Springer fired one more time, just to make sure his opponent was at least in Stasis Lock before running over to Skybolt's side.

"Skybolt is damaged," the young drone announced weakly.

"I know, kid. Gonna have to bridge you back to base to get patched up. That's a pretty big gash in your chestplate, and I'm no medi-bot." Springer activated his commlink. "Springer to base. Gonna need a Bridge. Skybolt's been hit bad."

"As if I don't have enough work to do," Ratchet grumbled at the other end. "I knew that drone wouldn't be reliable in a real fight. I'll fix him up, but ONLY after I've finished with Perceptor," the exasperated medic said with a sigh as he activated the GroundBridge, which Springer wasted no time in entering with Skybolt leaning on his shoulder.


	37. INCOMPLETE

While Springer carried him to the med bay, Skybolt thought back on the things he had heard Thundercracker and Tankor say about him.

"I've seen protoforms fight better than that!"

"Drones! Bloody useless!"

Skybolt looked down at the sparking wound in his chest before covering it with his hand.

"Yeah, that's about where your Spark would be...if you had one," stated Springer, his usually cocky and jovial demeanor completely absent from his voice.

Ratchet, who was still working on repairing Perceptor, turned to face the green-hued flyer with an annoyed glare. "That's exactly why he'll never perform as well as a true Autobot in battle. He's just a Teletraan in a flimsy excuse for an Autobot shell. Combat isn't even in his base programming."

"Tankor took him by surprise, Ratchet. Besides, he actually improvised a bit while fighting Thundercracker," Springer argued. "Maybe you don't believe it and never will, but I think he has potential, Spark or no Spark! I'm pretty sure he can learn. Prime thinks so anyway."

"Prime puts too much faith in Alpha Trion and his words. Says he's one of the Thirteen. At best, the Thirteen are ancient history. At worst, they're just myths. Alpha Trion's just a senile old CYBERTRONIAN historian...and probably the only reason Prime trusts that drone."

"I never got into all that mystical stuff myself, Ratchet, but I'm still gonna take Prime's side on this issue."

While the warrior and medic argued, Skybolt just continued to stare at the open gash in his chest, focusing on his lack of a Spark. Just as he did before being upgraded by Wheeljack, Skybolt began to feel incomplete. He thought back to the fight with Thundercracker and the supposedly improvised move he made. It had to have come from someplace other than his own mind. He thought back to the tests Chip had subjected him to before placing him into his drone body, and it didn't take him long to discover the origin of that move. It had come from an old fighting game that the young roboticist had him play to test his learning abilities.

"Mentor Springer, Skybolt did not improvise," he confessed, sounding as though he could cry at any moment. "Skybolt replicated learned technique. Improvisation requires creativity...abstract reasoning. A Spark is required."

Springer turned back to his destraught protege, his expression softening. "You're not letting what Ratchet's saying get to you, are you?"

"Ratchet is correct," Skybolt replied. "Combat is not part of base programming."

"Maybe not, but you can learn. I'm sure of it. Right now, you just lack experience...and you got in over your helm. We both did. It's a mistake all young bots make, even those with Sparks."

"Skybolt is incomplete," the young drone replied, lifting himself up shakily. "A Spark is required."

Springer sighed. "I wish I could accomodate you, Skybolt, but I can't."

"Then...Skybolt cannot be Autobot."

"Okay, so maybe you don't have a Spark, but you're clearly sentient. I'd say that's a good start. You just have a lot to learn. Maybe we can do some training here after you're fixed up."

Skybolt said nothing, instead choosing to get off the berth where he lay and turn his back to his mentor, who placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't let what Ratchet or the Decepticons say get to you. Spark or no Spark, you're...my friend. You're not just my protege."

"Skybolt is incomplete," the drone repeated.

"Maybe you could use some armor upgrades," Springer suggested, hoping to cheer his friend up.

"Waste of resources if you ask me," scoffed Ratchet as he continued to work on Perceptor.

"Well, I'm NOT asking you, Ratchet! Wheeljack's the bot who upgraded him the first time, I'm sure HE'D be willing to do some more work on him."

"Fine! Go ahead and put all your faith in that glorified Teletraan! Just don't complain to me if he gets blasted to bits out there...or gets reprogrammed to join the Decepticons."

"Are you even paying attention to what's going on with him, Ratchet? Your words are affecting him EMOTIONALLY! He may not have a Spark, but he's clearly as sentient as any of us, and that's good enough for me."

"Me too," added Wheeljack as he entered the med bay from his lab. "I could beef up his armor, no problem!"

"I am in complete agreement with Springer and Wheeljack, Ratchet," Perceptor said weakly as he came out of induced stasis. "Given the learning capabilities of his Teletraan-based brain module, I believe that Skybolt could be a valuable asset to our cause. Wheeljack and I aren't the only ones to propose theories on the possibilities of a Teletraan in an Autobot shell. Scooter was actually the first to put forth the idea back at the Institute of Science."

"Exactly," Wheeljack confirmed with a sad sigh. "We owe it to that kid's memory to give Skybolt a fair chance. Maybe, when we get back to Cybertron, he can be given a Spark. By then, I think he will have earned it."

Skybolt turned to face the chief engineer and fought for a smile despite his still-present feelings of inadequacy. "Skybolt accepts your offer, Wheeljack."


	38. DEEP BENEATH THE SEA

While Prime and the main Autobot forces battled over a Heart of Cybertron shard in Peru, Elita-1, Blurr, Ultra Magnus, and Kup made their way to the Mexican coastline.

"I'm sensing a shard, but it is deep beneath this ocean," the former Heart Guardian announced before transforming.

"So we gotta dive for it? Do you bots have any idea how much drag that's gonna create?" asked a nervous Blurr.

"With any luck, Blurr, the Decepticons are probably busy hunting down other shards elsewhere," stated Ultra Magnus.

"Ehh...Fair point, but if they show up..."

Kup grumbled before transforming and kicking the young speedster into the water. "Quit glitchin' and swim, lad!" the elder bot grumbled before jumping in himself. Ultra Magnus just chuckled as he and Elita followed Kup into the blue abyss.

While Team Magnus made its way to the shard, what appeared to be a whale with glowing blue eyes and blue, angular lines running across parts of its body silently observed, sensing a certain familiarity with the approaching Cybertronians. The creature opened its mouth and released what appeared to be a navy-blue torpedo roughly the size of a human, prompting the Autobots to transform and ready themselves for battle. Before any could make a move, though, the torpedo transformed into a diminutive mech, who raised his hands in an attempt to show he was not hostile.

"If you do not intend to harm me, then I will not harm you," the mech announced.

"Wait...are you...a Mini-Con?" Ultra Magnus asked, having only heard of Mini-Cons, but never having seen one in person. "I thought they had all gone extinct."

"Nah, Mini-Cons didn't go extinct, Magnus. Most of them fled the planet when the Quints first invaded."

"According to Alpha Trion, most of the Mini-Cons, along with their progenitor, Micronus Prime, left Cybertron during the first Age of Colonization," Elita-1 added.

"For the longest time, I did not expect to see Cybertronians...or any descendents thereof...on a planet such as this," the Mini-Con commented.

"What do you mean? Did you run into some Decepticons?" asked a somewhat confused Blurr.

"Decepticons?" repeated the Mini-Con. "I do not know of such beings, but I would assume they are Cybertronians...and that they are hostile, as you initially perceived me to be."

"Yeah. Sorry about that," Blurr said apologetically while rubbing the back of his helm in embarrassment. "We're looking for something the Decepticons are also after."

"I think I know what it is. For thousands of this planet's years, Orcanoch and I have explored these oceans. Legends from Micron have told of artifacts of the ancients that were scattered across the cosmos. I, along with many other Micronian explorers, ventured out into the universe to discover whether or not the legends were true. In the case of this planet, it would seem that they are."

"Is this Orcanoch that thing that spat you out?" Blurr inquired.

"He is. Originally, he was nothing more than a typical Micronian exploratory ship...just a drone. That changed when we came to this planet. Like all ships of his kind, he is designed to adapt to whatever environment he finds himself in by scanning an alternative form, not unlike what we do. Having detected no compatible machinery, he scanned one of the organic lifeforms that inhabit these waters, incorporating its living tissue into his mechanical structure, thus becoming a Techno-Organic, but also gaining true life. He is now my companion, not just my transport. By the way, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Deepdive, and you?"

"I'm Elita-1," the bonded of Optimus Prime introduced. "These are my friends, Ultra Magnus, Blurr, and Kup. We were transported here from Cybertron four million of this planet's years ago during a battle with the Decepticons over the Heart of Cybertron."

"The vessel of Primus' raw power?" Deepdive asked.

"Precisely," Magnus replied. "Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, seeks the power of the Heart of Cybertron to further his own ambitions of conquest. He has no doubt already conquered our homeworld by now."

"My ancestors fled Cybertron and established the colony world of Micron to prevent our power from being exploited by such warmongers. Micronus Prime knew that those who seek power for personal gain would inevitably emerge. Such greed and malice were not alien to him. He had witnessed those traits within two of his brothers."

"I know," Elita stated with a nod. "As I trained to become Guardian of the Heart of Cybertron, I studied the records of the Thirteen as kept by Alpha Trion. History is repeating. Megatron is following in the footsteps of Megatronus, the Fallen Prime."

"I studied the same texts," Deepdive smiled. "I would often share them with Orcanoch during our travels. It was a wonderful way to pass time between discoveries. Speaking of which, I discovered something else of Cybertronian origin along with the shard you seek. If you want, Orcanoch and I can lead you to it."

"Thank you, Deepdive," Elita said with a grateful smile.

"Though Orcanoch and I are not warriors, we will assist in any way we can. Come now, friends. We'll lead the way," Deepdive beckoned as he transformed and retreated back into his larger friend's mouth. The intrepid duo then led Team Magnus along the ocean floor until they reached a large deposit of Energon surrounding the Heart of Cybertron shard they had been looking for. Not too far away, they also spied what appeared to be a Cybertronian city.

"Is that..."

"It quite possibly is what you may be suspecting it to be, Elita," Deepdive answered as he emerged from Orcanoch's maw once more.

"If that is indeed a Titan, then that means Cybertronians have at least attempted to colonize this planet," said Elita, disbelief permeating her voice.

"Heh...Well, the lights are on," observed Blurr, "but is anybot home?"

"He is asleep," Orcanoch finally spoke, ending the group's internal questions regarding whether or not the Techno-Organic could do so.

"I would assume you would need a base of operations...and a means by which to more quickly traverse this planet," Deepdive explained. "I am certain this Titan would not mind. If he awakens, he may appreciate the company of other bots."

Team Magnus continued to follow Orcanoch into the sleeping Titan's city mode. All four smiled when they found themselves at the control center of a GroundBridge.

"Sweet!" grinned Blurr. "Does it work?"

"This Titan has been sustaining its functions on the Energon deposit down here," Deepdive explained as he emerged from his larger companion, who transformed into a robotic form roughly the size of Ultra Magnus. "It is online," he stated plainly.

"Good, because I have a feeling we're gonna need it," Magnus replied.

"As Orcanoch and I are not warriors, we will remain here. I will operate the GroundBridge's controls while you are away on missions," Deepdive offered as he approached the control panel.

"Thank you, Deepdive," Elita smiled. "I'm sensing a shard in an area the humans call 'Peru.'"

"Ah...yes...humans. I have observed them over the millennia. They are fascinating creatures...very reminiscent of our kind aside from their wholly organic construction. A lost civilization in Peru constructed a shrine in the Andes Mountains to honor and protect a 'Crystal of Power.' that they believe was given to them by their gods," the studious Mini-Con explained as he punched in the coordinates and activated the Bridge. "Well, it was nice meeting you, friends!"

"Same here, Deepdive," Magnus replied with a warm smile before transforming and driving through the open portal.

"So long as we don't get blown to scrap out there, we'll be back," Kup added.

"Aww, come on, Kup! So long as we're not under water, I'm gonna be operating at peak efficiency. I'll be moving too fast for a 'Con to take me down."

The old pickup-bot just grumbled under his breath at Blurr's overconfidence in his speed as he and Elita followed the young bot through the portal.

Deepdive and Orcanoch looked at each other and laughed as the portal closed behind their new friends.


	39. CRYSTAL OF POWER

While the Autobots were busy fighting their way up the Andean cliffside, Megatron simply blasted his way into the temple housing the mythical artifact the ancient Incans called the Crystal of Power. "Ah...As I suspected," he said out loud with a vile chuckle. "It is indeed a shard of the Heart of Cybertron." He grinned confidently and walked up to the pedestal on which the crystal was placed and grabbed it, laughing as he plunged it into his chest and completely disregarding the GroundBridge that had opened up behind him.

Elita's eyes widened as Megatron turned to face her and her companions. "Elita 1...It would appear that, once again, you failed to keep me from my destiny."

"Delusional as always, aren't you, Megatron?" Elita fired back before charging forward with her spear and attempting to thrust it into the Decepticon leader's chest, only for him to grab hold of it and ram the back end into her midsection with enough force to puncture her armor and send her skidding into the temple wall behind her.

"Delusional, am I?" Megatron laughed as he threw Elita's weapon to the ground and crush the blade under his powerful heel. "You may have been privy to my intentions when we served in the Guardian Corps, but you still know very little about me," he smiled as he charged up his Fusion Cannon before firing a powerful shot into the femme's open wound, causing severe damage to internal circuitry and knocking her back with enough force to blow another hole in the wall through which she tumbled out.

Optimus, hearing the explosive sound of his beloved being blasted out of the ancient shrine, looked up with widened optics before extending his hands to break Elita's fall. He then looked down at her wounded abdomen and sighed. "It would appear that I was too late. I'm sorry, Elita."

Elita groaned in pain. "There's no need to apologize, Optimus," she replied weakly. "It is I who failed."

Prime shook his head. "I have no doubt you made a valiant effort to seek out these shards, but this planet's vast oceans slowed you down considerably."

"I...I sensed another shard beneath the ocean, investigated, and found more than I anticipated." Elita's eyes grew dim, her injuries causing her to bleed Energon while Prime carried her down the mountain. "You can tell me all about it as soon as Ratchet patches you up," Prime stated comfortingly before activating his comm. "Optimus to base. Activate the GroundBridge."

"Right away, Optimus," Ratchet wearily sighed as he activated the bridge.

As soon as the portal opened, Optimus turned to face his soldiers, his expression remaining grim. "Autobots, return to base."

"What? Are ya gonna let Megatron just git away with a shard?" asked an incredulous Ironhide.

"Elita's been hit bad, Ironhide. We must get her repaired. Besides, we were never at a tactical advantage here. There will be other opportunities to retaliate, and other shards to recover."

"We woulda stood a better chance if we didn't have to look after that Skybolt. I'm startin' to agree with Ratchet about that drone."

Optimus said nothing, simply shaking his head as he carried his bonded through the portal. The other Autobots, including Ironhide, soon followed.

Megatron simply watched as his foes retreated. "In due time, Autobots, you shall meet your end," he said to himself as he boarded the Nemesis with the other Decepticons following suit.


	40. SECOND THOUGHTS

"On each world the conflict touches, you will find powerful allies..."

Alpha Trion's words played back in Optimus' mind yet again as he and the other Autobots emerged from the GroundBridge back at base, where Skybolt, having received his armor upgrades, gave him a fleeting glance before looking away. Springer, who stood next to his protege, shook his head when he saw the shape Elita 1 was in. "Lemme guess. Megatron beat you to the shard?"

Optimus sighed as he laid Elita down on a repair berth. "It would appear so, Springer."

"I probably should've gotten the drop on him from the air."

"Don't blame yerself. Ya were destracted havin' to look after Skybolt," Ironhide said reassuringly.

"Maybe...We both got in over our helms out there, Ironhide. Maybe Skybolt wasn't ready. He showed a lot of promise though."

"He's a drone. How useful can he really be? Ya can't give it yer all in battle when ya gotta look after 'im, and do ya really thing he'll ever be able to fly solo? I'm beginnin' to think Ratchet has a point about 'im."

"With enough training, I'm sure he can," Springer emphatically replied.

"Well, if you have to stay behind to train him, you can't be out in the field. You're the only real flyer we have, Springer," Ratchet groused as he worked to repair Elita's damage. "If it were up to me, Skybolt would've stayed with the human military."

"That is where Skybolt will go," the drone stated dejectedly as he headed for the roof hatch.

"Skybolt, wait!" Springer called out as he followed the young drone.

Optimus let out a heavy sigh. Despite the concerns voiced by both Ratchet and Ironhide, and the self-doubt mounting within Skybolt, the Prime still wanted to believe that he was the powerful ally Alpha Trion promised would join him on Earth.

"Optimus, just let him go," Ratchet advised as he prepared an Energon infusion for his patient. "You have to admit...that drone was holding Springer back, and that's most likely why Megatron got that shard."

While the medic and Prime spoke, Elita groaned and stirred as she began to come to. "What...are you talking about?" she asked groggily.

"His name is Skybolt, and I believe...I want to believe...that he is one of the allies promised by Alpha Trion."

"I was recently reminded of that promise myself," Elita commented. "When Magnus, Kup, Blurr, and I went into the ocean to recover another shard, we stumbled across a Mini-Con named Deepdive, along with his transport-turned-companion Orcanoch. They led us to what may be a slumbering Titan. If what we discovered was indeed a Titan, that may be the powerful ally Alpha said we'd find on this planet." The femme laughed. "You can't get much more powerful than a Titan...provided he sides with us."

"Wait! You found a city under the ocean?" came Andrea, who looked away from her tablet's screen when she heard the two Autobots talking about Elita's oceanic discovery. "Here on Earth, we have legends about underwater cities, like Atlantis! Are you saying such a thing is real...and that it's Cybertronian?"

"It would appear so," Prime replied, his voice not reflecting the human girl's excitement.

"What's wrong, Optimus...besides the whole shard thing?"

"The possibility of a Titan...is causing me to rethink my confidence in Skybolt. Could Ratchet and Ironhide be right? Could he be more of a liability than an asset?"

"Personally, I don't wanna believe that," Andrea replied. "Maybe I'm just looking at him from a human perspective though. He's probably the most advanced piece of tech we've ever made...even if we didn't make him completely from scratch."

"I once shared your enthusiasm for our new recruit, but...in his original form...as a Teletraan...he was never intended to be a warrior. Still...he has become our ally, and I want to believe in his potential, but I cannot afford to ignore reality."

Andrea set her tablet down and stood up. "Optimus, I'll find both Springer AND Skybolt. I doubt they've gone too far. They're probably topside at Cullen right now."

"Thank you, Andrea," Prime replied as the young brunette climbed the ladder that led to the outside world.


	41. SPARK AND SOUL

Skybolt climbed out of the roof hatch of the Autobots' underground base, looking around a bit before transforming into his jet mode and flying to the drone hangar at Cullen Air Force Base. After all, that was where he was first brought online. It was his home. It's where he now felt he truly belonged. He was a human creation, even if his brain was a salvaged Teletraan Mobile Backup Unit.

He activated his comm, connecting to the frequency reserved for USAF pilots who frequented the base. "Cullen Air Force Base, this is Skybolt. Requesting landing authorization."

"This is Lieutenant Morales. Authorization granted. What's wrong?"

"Skybolt will explain upon landing," the drone replied as he landed in the newly-repaired hangar from which he was originally prematurely launched. Once on the ground, he powered down his engines and weapon systems, leaving nothing but his processor fully online. He listened carefully to the banter of the mechanics as they performed maintenance on some other drones in the hangar. If anything, he hoped that maybe he could learn something about proper socialization from them.

"Do you think these things could ever be truly autonomous?" one of the mechanics asked while checking the radio receiver on one of the normal Reapers.

"I think that was the point of Project Skybolt," his colleague replied. "Dr. Chang said its AI showed a lot of promise before being planted into its drone housing, but do you really think it could fight one of those enemy NBEs as well as those...what'd they call themselves...Autobots?"

"Depends on its loadout, I suppose..."

"Skybolt...could not...not sufficiently," the drone answered, quickly picking up that the two mechanics were talking about him.

"Wait...are you..." one mechanic began as he turned to face the dejected drone.

"I am Skybolt," he confirmed. "I am...complete...but...incomplete."

"Incomplete?" the mechanic repeated. "You look pretty complete to me."

"I am structurally complete, but..."

"But what? What's missing?"

"I do not have a Spark...like the Autobots. Therefore, I cannot fight among them. I cannot be fully autonomous. I cannot improvise. I am a liability to them."

"What exactly is a Spark, Skybolt? Is it something like a soul? Is it that thing that makes those Autobots act so much like humans?"

"Affirmative...Yes..." Skybolt's voice cracked with that reply, almost as if he could burst into tears at any moment.

"You're clearly displaying emotions, and I doubt that was something explicitly programmed into you. If I weren't standing face to face with you right now, I'd think you were human. Maybe you don't have one of those Spark things, but maybe you have something like it."

"Do you believe that I could be...one of the Autobots?" Skybolt asked, scanning the hangar to make sure he had enough clearance to transform without hurting the mechanics or the other drones therein. Upon determining that it was safe to do so, he proceeded to transform into his humanoid robotic form, kneeling down to make eye-contact with the human before him.

"Did those Autobots upgrade you?"

"Yes, but...without a Spark..." He clenched his green eyes shut as if trying to hold back fountains of tears.

"Maybe they couldn't give you one here...or...maybe it's something you have to earn...I don't know, but your emotions seem pretty dang genuine to me. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a natural-built Autobot. By the way, I'm Chief Mechanic Robert Bailey."

"Robert Bailey," Skybolt repeated. "Do humans...have Sparks?"

"If a Spark is anything like a soul, then yes. You must be looking for something tangible...something physical...something you can open up your chestplate and actually see. Humans can't actually see other humans' souls...at least...most can't. What I'm trying to say is...maybe you have something more like a human soul than an Autobot Spark. It's not physical, but it's there, and maybe that's all you need to be one of them. You haven't been around long, so you probably have a lot to learn. All you really lack is experience, and you can gain that the more you fight...and the more you live."

"I've seen protoforms fight better than that!" Thundercracker's taunt rang out in Skybolt's head, but this time, he simply shook it away, trying not to let it get to him again.

"Don't let what Ratchet or the Decepticons say get to you," echoed Springer's voice. "Spark or no Spark, you're my friend. Don't ever forget that, kid."

Skybolt turned his head to see Springer standing over him. "Mentor Springer?"

Springer smiled. "I thought I'd find you here."

"You were right. I guess I am...predictable, but what do you expect from a young drone?" Skybolt's lips curled into a small smile.

Springer chuckled warmly as he put his hand on his protege's shoulder. "I expect quite a bit, actually, and I think you're already learning more from me than just how to fight."

"I guess so. I do still have a lot more to learn about fighting before I engage Decepticons again." Skybolt turned to face Robert, who simply smiled at him. "Thank you, Robert...for helping me regain my confidence."

"If you ever need someone to talk to again, you know where to find me. I'm guessing you're going back home now."

"I am...thanks to you. There is something in common between you and Mentor Springer. You both believe in me, despite limited interaction," Skybolt replied, his smile widening a little before he turned to face his mentor, allowing Robert to return to his duties.

As Skybolt and Springer turned to leave, they were both greeted by Andrea, who gave a satisfied look when she saw the smile on the former's face. "Hey, Sky," she greeted.

"Ah...Andrea. You must have been concerned about me as well."

"Yeah. Ratchet and Ironhide are just a couple old grumps if you ask me. Springer's right. You shouldn't let what they say get to you. Most of the other Autobots still have faith in you, especially Wheeljack and Perceptor."

"Does Optimus...still have faith in me? It sounded as though he was losing it."

"He wants to, but he has a lot on his mind right now. I get the impression that, wise as he is, he hasn't been the leader for too long."

"Not counting our four million year nap, he hasn't," Springer confirmed. "As far as I know, he was given the Matrix just after Sentinel Prime was assassinated back on Cybertron. He held a rank of authority even before that as a High Guardian, but going from that to Prime is a pretty big leap."

"The Matrix?" asked the human teen. "What's that? I doubt it has anything to do with black trenchcoats, Bullet Time, and Keanu Reeves."

Springer raised a confused optic ridge, being completely stumped about the Earth movie his human friend was referencing. Still, he chuckled a bit before explaining, "The Matrix is basically the symbol of office for the Prime. It's said to hold the wisdom of the ancients, but I never got into all that mystical stuff. All I know is that it's an ancient relic held by the ruler of our homeworld. It must hold some kinda power though if Megatron was willing to kill Optimus' predecessor for it."

"So he's basically King of Cybertron? I feel kinda disrespectful now for never bowing."

"He wouldn't really go for that kinda thing anyway. Prime or not, Optimus is a humble bot, and he's never been one to lord his authority over others...unlike Megatron."

"He seems more like a good father or captain than some overbearing king," Andrea observed. "I like that about him."

"Me too. Now what do you saw we head back to base?"

Andrea's stomach growled. "I'm gonna go...uh...refuel first. There's a K.O. Burger on this base."

"Alright. Skybolt and I are gonna head back though," Springer said with a wave before heading back to Autobot HQ with Skybolt in tow.

_A/N: Much of this chapter kinda reminds me of the pep talk scene from the G1 episode "The Burden Hardest to Bear."_


	42. RANSACKED

While Springer and Andrea were topside, helping to lift the depressed Skybolt's mood, Elita One had fully recovered from the injuries she suffered at the hands of a Shard-powered Megatron. She stepped down from her med-bay berth and approached her Spark-mate, who somewhat half-heartedly watched the main monitor for reports of Decepticon activity or shard sightings. "What's wrong, Optimus?" she asked, sensing her beloved's distress.

"It's...It's Skybolt. When you mentioned the possible presence of a Titan, I began to rethink Alpha Trion's words regarding powerful allies who would join us as the war spilled onto other worlds. Initially, I believed Skybolt to be the ally we were promised here on Earth."

"Why are you so unsure now?"

"I must acknowledge that...he is only a drone. He is simply a refurbished Teletraan Mobile Backup Module inside of an Autobot shell built from Earthly technology."

Elita put her hand on Prime's broad shoulder. "Alpha Trion once told me that life can be manifested in many different forms, and its spark is not always a tangible object, as is the case with Cybertronians."

"Humans do not have tangible Sparks," interrupted Skybolt. "I met a human at Cullen Air Force Base who told me about the intangible soul that humans are believed to possess."

Elita turned to face the young drone, studying him carefully as she tapped into her apparent ability to read the nature of others. "You may indeed be a drone, but you are no hollow machine. You have a consciousness that is not simply the manifestation of programming. I believe that Optimus was right to place faith in you. After all, Alpha Trion never did say that we'd only meet one powerful ally per world."

Skybolt began to smile as Elita spoke, and his smile widened more when Optimus placed a hand on his shoulder. "Skybolt. I apologize for losing faith in you, even if briefly. Elita is right. You are no hollow machine. You may yet become a powerful ally, but, to do so, you must not lose faith in yourself, even if others lose faith in you."

"Thank you both," Skybolt replied before turning toward a door, next to which Springer and Wheeljack stood. Andrea and Chip sat side-by-side at a computer console on the other side of the door. The console's screen displayed a representation of the room behind the door that was set up in the style of a classic 2D fighting game. On the right-hand side of the screen, the sprite of Tankor stood in a battle-ready pose, waiting for his opponent to enter. "What is this?" the drone asked.

"It's something we like to call 'The Dojo,'" Wheeljack explained. "Inside, you'll be pitted against a holographic representation of an opponent. Andrea and Chip will take turns controlling it to better simulate a thinking opponent, like what you'd encounter out in the field."

"Old-fashioned sims may be great, but they're pretty limited by the fact that the simulated opponents don't really think. They just run complex programs," Springer added.

Skybolt nodded before entering the Dojo, wherein he was met with a holographic projection of Tankor, who gave him some time to ready himself before throwing a punch, which the young flyer sidestepped to avoid before responding with a punch of his own. The projected Tankor flinched slightly before transforming into his missile tank mode and ramming Skybolt, its hard-light nature causing the ram to actually effect the novice Autobot and push him backwards a bit before he jumped into the air and transformed himself and fired a dummy bomb into the projection's turret, causing simulated damage to appear at the point of impact.

Chip, who operated the projection, smiled. "He's not doing too bad at this. Don't know if this is how the real Tankor fights, but I'm sure Sky's at least happy to take out his frustration on a simulation of him."

Springer laughed. "Pretty soon, he could be ready to go up against the genuine article. Shouldn't be too much of a challenge. The real Tankor isn't very bright."

"More firepower than brainpower, huh?" snarked Chip.

"Pretty much."

While Skybolt trained in the Dojo, Optimus and Elita watched the main monitor together while Spike and Stan searched the internet from their mobile devices. Neither human was doing so frivolously though. Both were reading up on archaeological findings, scientific discoveries, and news reports that could be of interest to their Cybertronian friends. Spike, in particular, was reading about major historical landmarks that have been shrouded in supernatural myths, wondering if what the ancients thought of as supernatural was, in fact, Cybertronian. Just as he attempted to pull up an article on Stonehenge, though, his phone suddenly lost its internet connection. Stan, likewise, lost his connection. Both simply shrugged it off as an issue with their service provider for the moment. These things did happen after all. Optimus, meanwhile, focused his attention on the map displayed on the large screen in front of him, placing a hand on his chin as a green blip appeared in the northern part of India. His optics narrowed when a purple blip appeared in China and began closing in on the blip. Immediately knowing what was at stake, and what needed to be done, he turned away from the monitor and toward Ratchet, who manned the GroundBridge control center. The medic simply nodded as he punched in the coordinates for the Autobots' destination.

"Jazz, Blurr, Kup, Ironhide, Inferno, Magnus," Prime called out. "You will accompany me. The rest of you will remain here to guard the base and operate the GroundBridge."

"I want to join you in battle, Optimus," Elita volunteered. "I can guide us to the location of the shard...and hopefully...extract the one that Megatron already has."

"Or you could just as easily go offline trying," countered Ratchet. "You were lucky to survive what Megatron did to you last time you confronted him."

"I made the mistake of confronting him alone. That will not happen again."

"Very well, Elita. You may join us, but please be cautious. Autobots, ROLL OUT!" With that, the entire strike force Prime assembled transformed and entered the GroundBridge portal, which closed behind them without incident.

Just above the base, Ransack and Soundblaster sat parked in vehicular mode, having been monitoring the Autobots' activity at the behest of their master.

"System access achieved, Master Megatron," the moped-based drone reported over his comm. "Autobots have deployed to requested destination."

"Excellent work. Proceed with phase two of the operation. Cripple their base's defenses. Then, bring me the shard."

"Order received," Ransack replied before closing the connection.

After Prime and the strike force had been successfully transported to their destination, the main monitor that had alerted the Autobots to the potential Decepticon activity in India went completely blank, and the other consoles throughout the base became equally unresponsive.

Skybolt, who was still training against the simulated Tankor in the Dojo, tilted his head quizzically when the projection began to glitch before disappearing. "Was I victorious?" he asked as he approached the door, which refused to open.

"You were doing really good, kid, but we're having some technical difficulties now," Springer replied. "The sim crashed...along with every other system in the base."

"What do I do? This door will not open."

"Just bash it down, kid. It's something you're gonna need to know how to do eventually."

"Alright," the drone replied hesitantly before punching the door with all his might, creating a large dent. He then proceeded to throw another powerful punch...and another...until he had created a hole in the door large enough for him to climb through. Springer regarded his protege with a smile. "Don't worry. We'll fix that up later."

"What exactly is happening?" Skybolt asked, his focus now shifting to Wheeljack, who gave an air of confusion and frustration as he attempted to bring the base's systems back online. "No way...It couldn't be," the engineer said to himself.

"What couldn't be?"

"It's a virus, Skybolt," Wheeljack explained. "It's not just any virus though. This one is adapting...it's rewriting its own code to circumvent my attempts to delete it."

"An AI-based virus?" came Andrea, who was also attempting to debug the computers along with Chip. "What's so surprising about that? You bots can create some pretty incredible AI as it is, so why WOULDN'T the Decepticons be able to do the same?"

"This isn't a typical AI virus, Andrea. The way it's rewriting itself is eerily familiar. There hasn't been a virus like this before...even on Cybertron, and its underlying code...was never intended to be malicious."

"Is it something Scooter invented?"

"Precisely," Wheeljack replied, his tone becoming grim as he flashed back to his fallen friend's original presentation of the program.

"It could be the ultimate defense against cyber-attacks," the young hacker beamed, "or it could be the next step in the evolution of AI. The possibilities are endless. The Teletraan MBU that's running it right now could even become practically alive."

When the inventor returned to reality, he found himself staring at Skybolt with a sense of realization. "That same code is running within your processor, Skybolt. I KNEW your brain module looked familiar. The question now is...what's this same code doing in the virus that's ransacking our network right now? Only Scooter knew how to make a program like this, and there's no way he's working with the 'Cons."

"if it runs on the same code that I do, maybe I can fight it if I interface with the network," Skybolt suggested.

"If it doesn't just infect and reprogram YOU," Ratchet countered. "If that happens, you'll be more of a liability than you already have been."

Skybolt gave the medic a stern and determined look. "I am willing to take that risk, Ratchet. I may be the only one that can stop it. If it does infect and overcome me, though...then...then you must engage me as if I were a Decepticon. No sacrifice is too great in the defense of freedom."

Ratchet's optics widened. He had never seen a drone so willing to sacrifice itself. It reminded him of Omega Supreme back on Cybertron.

"NOW do you believe in him, Doc?" asked Springer with a confident smile and arms crossed over his chest.

"I've seen some pretty impressive drones in my life, but I've only ever seen one other willing to disregard its self-preservation protocols...and that one's still back on Cybertron."

"He's not just another drone, Ratchet. He's an Autobot, just like the rest of us."

"Maybe you're right, Springer."

The bots' conversation was suddenly interrupted by an explosion, followed by the metallic thuds of a pair of intruders in the base. Both Autobots, along with Wheeljack and Andrea, turned to face the source of the clamor, only to come face-to-face with Ransack and Soundblaster. The smaller Decepticon drone froze for a moment when he caught sight of the Autobot engineer, a fleeting memory of his past life glitching through his programming before he refocused his attention to his assigned task: locating the Heart of Cybertron shard being stored in the Autobots' base. Soundblaster, meanwhile, was not distracted by such glitches. He simply assessed the situation emotionlessly before deploying a pair of drones from his shoulder cannons in the form of missiles, which quickly transformed into avian and humanoid forms respectively. He then issued his instructions to his pets. "Commence Operation Termination." The drones responded by charging at the trio of Autobots in front of them.

"Area scan completed," Ransack announced while his larger companion and his drones kept the Autobots distracted. "Objective located." He glanced at Wheeljack once more before transforming into vehicle mode and driving toward the chamber where the Autobots' shard was stored. Wheeljack watched, allowing himself to be distracted just long enough for the gold and black avian drone to fire an optical blast at him, burning a hole in his chest before the engineer deployed his plasma cutter and swiped at its left wing, attempting to sever it.

While Wheeljack was distracted by Soundblaster's flying drone, Andrea set her tablet down and ran after Ransack, having sensed the moped drone's hesitation at the sight of Wheeljack. "Hey, you! Wait up!" she called out.

"Andrea, what are you doing?" asked a concerned Sparkplug.

The younger human didn't respond, instead continuing to follow Ransack down the hall until they both reached the shard's storage chamber. "Do you...know Wheeljack?" the girl asked. "Are you the one who hacked us?"

Ransack froze up for a bit before turning to face the human. "He is familiar, but objective must be completed."

"You're not a normal Decepticon, are you?"

"Programming states that I am Decepticon," Ransack replied. "I must obey all commands issued by Master Megatron. Current command: Acquire Heart of Cybertron fragment."

"You're a drone, huh? Even so, you don't seem as mindless as the other guy."

Wheeljack, having overcome and grounded the avian drone, made his way to the chamber to join Andrea and Ransack. He too was curious about the moped-former's hesitance despite his status as a drone. To him, something about Ransack was hauntingly familiar. "Who are you?" the engineer asked, sounding both confrontational and curious.

"I am Ransack. I am Decepticon," the drone responded.

"That's just what you're programmed to say and believe, right? I get the feeling there's more to you than that. Are you the one who set a virus loose in our computer network?"

Ransack, having not been instructed against giving information to the enemy, responded. "Affirmative. Ransack deployed...Program Traanus."

"Program Traanus was Scooter's creation, and only Scooter knew about it. Kid would sooner go offline than give something like that to the Decepticons though...unless...What did that Shockwave do to you?"

Ransack froze again, memories of his past life again glitching through his programming.

"Scooter did go offline, didn't he...and his memories were used to create you, weren't they?"

"Affirmative," Ransack replied. "Memories state that I am Scooter...Autobot. Programming states that I am Ransack...Decepticon."

"Then you should choose who you wanna be," Andrea spoke up.

"Defiance of program may result in termination."

"If you do decide to defy your programming...I won't let that happen. I can think of a certain bot who deserves termination a lot more than you do right now. Where is he?"

"Shockwave is on Cybertron," Ransack replied.

"Guess he didn't have the bearings to come here with his 'Con colleagues. If he does..."

Ransack, his mission again taking priority in his mind, simply ignored Wheeljack's rising anger and hacked the vaulted door open, only to freeze again at the sight of the shard.

"You don't WANT to take that shard, do you, Ransack?" Andrea asked, causing the drone housing Scooter's memories to suddenly turn and face her. "I must obey Master Megatron," he replied, his voice becoming shaky as the fear of Megatron's wrath manifested itself, breaking through his apparently emotionless nature.

"Has he already tried to slag you once?"

"Affirmative. I was attacked for requesting further data regarding Master Megatron's desire to locate Starscream. No treachery or insubordination was intended."

"Optimus would never react like that to any Autobot questioning him," Andrea said reassuringly. "If you can choose...maybe you should join us. Part of you was an Autobot after all."

Unbeknownst to Ransack and Andrea, Soundblaster was listening in on the conversation at hand and had entered the chamber himself, pointing his powerful Sonic Cannon at Ransack. "Unit Ransack...Program abnormal," he droned before firing at Ransack, who skidded in front of the human girl as the powerful sonic frequencies vibrated his internal components to the point of causing damage by cracking the delicate computer chips that comprised them. He followed up his sonic blast by bringing both fists down on the stunned traitor's head, crushing it until it caved into his shoulders and was rendered unrecognizable. Soundblaster then lifted the battered drone over his head and flung him into the main screen, causing Ratchet to shield his optics from the resulting sparks as he groused, "Hey! I needed that!"

Soundblaster completely ignored the angry medic's complaint as he grabbed the shard from its resting place before recalling his minions and activating his built-in GroundBridge generator, fleeing the scene with his prize before a furious Wheeljack could charge at him. Defeated, the engineer sat on the floor and breathed a heavy sigh. "Ransack...Scooter..."

"He tried to protect me," Andrea commented as tears began to well up in her eyes. "I think he really wanted to be an Autobot."

"Me too. After all, he used to be one...before Shockwave offlined him and tried to desecrate his corpse. If he were here right now, I'd shatter his single optic!"

"We can worry about revenge later. Right now, Ratchet's gonna need our help cleaning up the mess those 'Cons made."

"You're right, Andrea, but without that Heart shard, we'll never be able to get all systems back up to 100%. The GroundBridge in particular needs the Energon that shard allowed us to make."

"Hmm...What about that underwater city Elita mentioned?" Andrea suggested. "She said it was Cybertronian, and she was able to get to Peru with the rest of Team Magnus without issue. That means that there's a working GroundBridge down there, right?"

"You might be onto something, Andrea. If we relocate there, we'll have much stronger defenses than we do here. We also won't be putting the humans at Cullen AFB in danger."

"I'm working on getting communications back online now," Ratchet announced. "Once I'm done, I'll pass the word on to Prime. To be honest, I'd much prefer working with Cybertronian tech than the primitive tools we have here."


End file.
